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Russian energy giant Gazprom said on Tuesday that natural gas exports outside former Soviet Union countries fell by 28.5% year-over-year to 30.7 billion cubic meters (bcm) from Jan. 1 to March 15.
The company added that it continues to deliver gas as requested by consumers in full compliance with contractual obligations.
“It is worth noting that the amounts of gas exported by Gazprom to the countries beyond the FSU (former Soviet Union) from March 1 through March 15 are 15.6% higher than those observed in the first 15 days of February and 38.9% higher than those observed in the first 15 days of January this year,” the statement read.
It also reported that its gas output for the period stood at 111.5 bcm, broadly unchanged from the same period in 2021.
The energy giant saw a 5.7% decrease in domestic demand for gas, equating to 4.8 bcm, the statement said, attributing the drop to several factors, including the warm weather experienced in February.
Meanwhile, the Russian company’s exports to Turkey in said period increased by %21.1 year-over-year.
Gazprom’s sales also jumped 51.7% to Italy, 71.8% to Poland, 110.9% to Croatia, 34.6% to Greece and 24.4% to Bulgaria.
Gas exports to China, which Gazprom sends via the “Power of Siberia” pipeline, keep growing “within the framework of the long-term bilateral contract between the company and the China National Petroleum Cooperation (CNPC),” the statement added.
The company said Europe’s underground natural gas storage facilities were at 26.2% capacity as of March 13, citing Gas Infrastructure Europe, equating to a 20.4% drop below last year’s figures.
Gazprom said Germany’s underground gas storage facilities are “74.9% empty” while France’s are 80.8% empty.
“As much as 50.4 bcm or 106.6% of the gas that was injected by companies in the summer season of 2021, are already withdrawn. It should be reminded that all of the gas reserves that had been injected into Europe’s UGS (underground gas storage) facilities last year were completely withdrawn in February. Now, the remaining gas injected in the previous years is being withdrawn,” it said.
