23 Jul 2010 10:38

Gazprom gas production off last year's pace

MOSCOW. July 23 (Interfax) - Gazprom's current ongoing gas extraction has for the first time fallen below the level of last year - the worst in the history of Russia's gas sector.

According to the Fuel and Energy Dispatch Center (TsDU TEK), Gazprom had on July 21 extracted 1.059 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas, significantly under the 1.067 bcm it had produced on the same date last year.

The situation was otherwise just one day prior - 1.062 bcm extracted on July 20, 2010, versus 1.035 bcm on July 20, 2009.

The current 1.059 bcm production level is for now the lowest daily extraction since the start of this year, although it is substantially higher than last year's low of 891.7 million m3.

Since this year began, Gazprom has also significantly increased last year's levels.

However, the extraction curves of this and last year are mixed. Whereas in 2009 Gazprom hit the year's low on June 21 and then rose, this year has up to now seen a continued drop in extraction.