Consumers in Russia fully supplied with gas, cold weather and peak offtake pose no problems - Gazprom

ST. PETERSBURG. Jan 12 (Interfax) - Consumers in Russia are fully supplied with gas and Gazprom is ready for increased gas consumption, Gazprom Mezhregiongaz chief Sergey Gustov told reporters on Thursday.

"We did indeed have peak gas consumption the other day when you saw that it was cold across the country. But we are ready for this peak offtake, the domestic gas market is reliably protected. The domestic gas market is Gazprom's priority and Russia's consumers will be fully supplied with gas. Our underground gas storage facilities and daily production volumes allow us to say with confidence that we are well supplied with gas," Gustov said.

Gas consumption in Russia in 2022 ramped up both in gas-intensive industries like agrochemicals, power and heat production and also among the population, he said. This trend is expected to continue in 2023, especially in view of the implementation of the gasification program for Russian regions.

As reported, Gazprom Mezhregiongaz group on January 8, 2023 logged maximum daily gas offtake by Russian consumers over three years - 1.74 billion cubic meters. Since the beginning of January, there has been a significant drop in temperature in most regions of Russia, with the average temperature from January 6 to 8 at minus 17.3 degrees Celsius, the Gazprom subsidiary said.