Gazprom production, exports rise over 3% in 15 days of Jan
MOSCOW. Jan 16 (Interfax) - Gazprom exported 8.6 billion cubic meters of gas to non-FSU countries in the first 15 days of January, 3.1% more than in the same period last year, the Russian gas giant said.
There was marked growth of supplies to Italy (up 74.6%), Austria (42.6%), Czech Republic (43,4%), Netherlands (18%), Germany (2.2%), France (10%), Romania (28.8%), Bulgaria (20%), Finland (16.5%), Denmark (17.9%) and Greece (6.6%).
Gas production rose 3.7% to 22.8 bcm. Gazprom commissioned new production capacity at the end of last year: the third phase of the Bovanenkovo field and a new booster compressor station at Zapolyarnoye.
The temperature in Russia was 1.5 degrees lower than at the start of last year and is trending roughly halfway between the cold and warm peaks of past years.
Capacity utilization on the Uzhgorod pipeline corridor in Ukraine rose 1.7-fold in the 15 days and more than doubled in the second week of January, after the holidays were over. But figures were only 3% higher than in the same period of 2017.This can be explained by gas withdrawals from storage in Europe, which are far lower this year than in 2018.
Commercial exports can be expected to rise in the second half of January as Europe is in for a cold snap, according to updated weather forecasts.
Pipeline gas in Russia rose 8% or 1.2 bcm in 15 days of January.