Naftogaz of Ukraine planning to increase gas extraction by 1 bcm in 2023 - CEO

MOSCOW. Feb 6 (Interfax) - Naftogaz of Ukraine is planning to increase natural gas extraction by 1 billion cubic meters in 2023, Ukrainian media quoted the company CEO Alexei Chernyshov as saying in a statement.

"We set an ambitious task: Naftogaz should increase gas extraction by 1 bcm as early as this year," the company quoted Chernyshov on social media.

In his words, the primary objective of Naftogaz is to create sufficient gas reserves for the next heating season of 2023-2024.

"We should achieve full energy independence in the future," he said.

As reported earlier, Ukrgazvydobuvania, a gas-extracting subsidiary of Naftogaz, produced 12.5 bcm of commercial natural gas in 2022, down 3% from 2021. Ukrnafta is another gas-extracting entity in the holding. Ukrnafta has not posted its production results for 2022 just yet.