Russian govt updates, revises up Russian pipeline and LNG export estimates for 2023

MOSCOW. Feb 6 (Interfax) - The Russian government has updated and raised estimates of Russian gas exports in 2023 via pipelines and in liquefied form , with new figures presented by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in the Federation Council.

According to Novak's presentation, pipeline gas exports in 2023 amounted to 99.6 billion cubic meters. Two weeks ago, Novak's article in the journal Energy Policy (EP) cited a figure of 91.4 billion cubic meters. The revised figure surpassed the estimate of the medium-term Russian macro forecast - 97 bcm.

In 2021, Russian gas exports through the pipeline amounted to 206.8 billion cubic meters, and in 2022 - 142.1 billion cubic meters. Novak noted that the biggest drop in export supplies was in 2022 due to the sabotage at the Nord Stream pipeline, while 2023 was a year of stabilization of the gas industry's performance.

Officials use data on exports of natural gas produced in Russia, while Gazprom's statistics also include re-exports of Central Asian gas.

LNG exports, according to Novak's new presentation, totaled 45.4 billion cubic meters in 2023 (down 1.9% from 46.3 billion cubic meters in 2022). An earlier estimate of exports from the article in the Energy Policy journal was 43.6 bcm.

In Russia, Sakhalin Energy (co-owners Gazprom, Mitsui and Mitsubishi) and Yamal LNG (participants NOVATEK , TotalEnergies , China's CNPC and SRF) produce large-capacity LNG.)