Gazprom Sees Record 2018 Sales to Europe
Russian pipeline gas monopoly Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller expects record exports to Europe during 2018.
“This year, we will hit an absolute record for gas exports to Europe for a third time in a row: total exports will exceed 201 bn m3,” he said December 28 in a New Year message.
“We are only a step away from the maximum annual contracted volumes that we have in all of our contracts for gas exports to Europe,” he added: “As we can see, the demand for Russian gas is skyrocketing. I can say without a doubt that our cooperation with foreign partners will take into account the new circumstances.”
Already December 4, Gazprom had said it delivered 179.9bn m³ to the Far Abroad countries – non-former Soviet Union republics in Europe – during the first eleven months of 2018, so 2.6% more than in Jan-Nov 2017 and 10.2% more than in the same 2016 period. It’s understood that Miller’s 201bn m3 figure for full year 2018 is consistent with that ‘Far Abroad’ definition, and includes its global LNG exports. Gazprom also normally gives volumes in Russian equivalent m3, which have a slightly lower calorific value than standard m3.
Gazprom plans to bring Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream into operation in 2019, Miller reiterated Dec.28. “Next year, we will deliver our pipeline gas to China for the first time ever; supplies will begin on December 20 via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline,” he added.
He also said that gas demand rose on the domestic market too. By end-2018, Gazprom deliveries via its gas transmission system will exceed last year’s figures by 12bn m3, he said.
Gazprom’s gas production will total about 497.6bn m3 in 2018, added Miller, representing an increase of 26.6bn m3 from 2017. That included getting the Bovanenkovskoye field on the Yamal peninsula to its full design capacity of 115bn m3/yr.
Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller at his New Year briefing on December 28 2018 (Credit: the company)