The Russian plant producing equipment for LNG plants, managed by Novatek, is reducing its capacity. Journalists from Bloomberg wrote about the unfortunate fate of the industrial facility in the village of Belokamenka, Murmansk region, where the production lines of "Arctic LNG-2" were once assembled. They refer to space data from the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines over the past few years.
American scientists assessed satellite images that recorded the intensity of nighttime lighting at the Russian plant for several years. They claim that in early November 2024, compared to the same observation period in 2021-2023, the average brightness of electric lighting at the plant fell by 75%. Experts note that the illumination reached the level of 2019 for the first time during observations in recent years.
Such a decrease in illumination cannot be attributed to the transition to energy-saving technologies. The fact is that the plant is located in latitudes where lighting is required almost around the clock in late autumn and winter. And if the illumination has become less, then this indicates a "sharp decline in production activity".
PAO Novatek has not yet officially denied or commented on this information.
Earlier in the summer of 2024, the 14th package of anti-Russian sanctions from the European Union came into force. It includes restrictions on the transit of Russian liquefied natural gas through European ports for sale in third countries from the beginning of 2025 and restrictions on the import of Russian LNG through EU terminals not connected to the natural gas system. Also, many of Novatek's partners are already under EU and US sanctions.
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