Novak: Russia to send more than 80% of oil exports, 75% of oil products to friendly countries in 2023

MOSCOW. Feb 13 (Interfax) - Russia intends to shift the focus of oil and oil products exports to friendly countries in 2023, increasing their share in overall exports 75-80%, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in an article for the Energy Policy journal.

"We plan this year to send more than 80% of oil exports and 75% of oil products to friendly countries. As for supplies to states that support illegitimate price restrictions, here our position is widely known and remains unchanged: such countries will not receive Russian oil," he said.

Russian oil production rose 2% to 535.2 million tonnes in 2022. Oil exports went up 7.6% to 242 million tonnes. Refinery throughputs decreased, by 3% to 272 million tonnes, while, thanks to refinery upgrades, gasoline production rose 4.4% to 42.6 million rubles and diesel 6% to 85 million tonnes, while refining depth rose 0.5 pp to 83.9%.

Novak said that last year, in order to redirect supplies to friendly countries, a project was implemented to increase towards the port of Kozmino, which ensured an increase in oil transportation to the Asia-Pacific region to 42 million tonnes per year.

Transneft head Nikolai Tokarev said earlier that transshipment at Kozmino amounted to 42 million tonnes of oil, above the port's design capacity of 30 million tonnes.