Gazprom exports grow in Q3, driven by advance to Ukraine
MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) - All of Gazprom's biggest foreign customers - Germany, France, the Czech Republic and Turkey - increased gas purchases in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the same period of 2012, the Russian gas giant said in a report.
Gazprom's natural gas exports to countries outside the CIS grew by 5% to 30.5 billion cubic meters, and overall exports increased by 12% to 44.8 bcm.
The biggest increase in gas imports was by Ukraine, which increased purchases by two-thirds to 8.63 bcm. Gazprom financed the gas purchases by Naftogaz Ukrainy for pumping into storage reservoirs with an advance payment of $2 billion for transshipments.
The growth in exports to Europe was due to the law base of comparison of the third quarter of 2011.
The export statistics held a few surprises, such as the fact that Serbia and South Osetia completely stopped importing Russian gas in the third quarter, and the Netherlands bought almost no gas from Gazprom.
Gazprom natural gas exports:
| Country | 3Q2012 | 3Q2011 | % | 9M2012 | 9M2011 | % |
| Germany | 7.67 | 5.77 | 32.9 | 24.8 | 25.01 | -0.8 |
| Italy | 3.68 | 2.64 | 39.4 | 10.3 | 11.57 | -11.0 |
| Turkey | 6.2 | 5.53 | 12.1 | 20.2 | 18.3 | 10.4 |
| France | 1.85 | 2.31 | -19.9 | 6.4 | 8.04 | -20.4 |
| Finland | 0.7 | 0.72 | -2.8 | 2.7 | 3.25 | -16.9 |
| Austria | 0.92 | 0.81 | 13.6 | 3.9 | 3.92 | -0.5 |
| Greece | 0.46 | 0.67 | -31.3 | 1.8 | 2.05 | -12.2 |
| Netherlands | 0.1 | 1.61 | -93.8 | 2.2 | 3.83 | -42.6 |
| Switzerland | 0.05 | 0.06 | -16.7 | 0.2 | 0.228 | -12.3 |
| Denmark | 0.05 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | ||
| UK | 1.55 | 1.55 | 0.0 | 5.4 | 5.71 | -5.4 |
| Hungary | 1.03 | 1.61 | -36.0 | 3.7 | 4.58 | -19.2 |
| Poland | 2.07 | 2.13 | -2.8 | 7.1 | 8.02 | -11.5 |
| Slovakia | 1.11 | 1.11 | 0.0 | 3.1 | 4.46 | -30.5 |
| Czech Republic | 2.27 | 1.47 | 54.4 | 5.8 | 6.03 | -3.8 |
| Romania | 0.23 | 0.16 | 43.8 | 1.7 | 2.66 | -36.1 |
| Bulgaria | 0.4 | 0.56 | -28.6 | 1.9 | 2.1 | -9.5 |
| Serbia & Montenegro | 0 | 0.12 | -100.0 | 0.4 | 1.05 | -61.9 |
| Slovenia | 0.03 | 0.08 | -62.5 | 0.3 | 0.41 | -26.8 |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 0.05 | 0.04 | 25.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Macedonia | 0.06 | 0.01 | 500.0 | 0.1 | 0.092 | 8.7 |
| Ukraine | 8.63 | 5.145 | 67.7 | 24.55 | 32.505 | -24.5 |
| Belarus | 3.87 | 4.231 | -8.5 | 14.31 | 14.801 | -3.3 |
| Moldova | 0.51 | 0.516 | -1.2 | 2.16 | 2.156 | 0.2 |
| Lithuania | 0.67 | 0.65 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.51 | -4.4 |
| Latvia | 0.17 | 0.208 | -18.3 | 0.91 | 1.128 | -19.3 |
| Estonia | 0.06 | 0.043 | 39.5 | 0.36 | 0.563 | -36.1 |
| Kazakhstan | 0.11 | 0.116 | -5.2 | 0.62 | 0.636 | -2.5 |
| South Osetia | 0 | 0.002 | -100.0 | 0.02 | 0.016 | 25.0 |
| Armenia | 0.28 | 0.23 | 21.7 | 1.3 | 1.06 | 22.6 |
| Georgia | 0.07 | 0.03 | 133.3 | 0.2 | 0.187 | 7.0 |
| Total exports | 44.85 | 40.131 | 11.8 | 149.23 | 167.052 | -10.7 |
| Russia | 44.626 | 47.56 | -6.2 | 213.02 | 225.34 | -5.5 |