Russia boosts LNG exports – deputy PM

Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports surged by 8% last year, as pipeline deliveries to the EU were reduced due to Western sanctions and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said on Monday.

Russia exported a total of 46 billion cubic meters (bcm) of LNG last year. Earlier, Novak had predicted that exports to the EU would amount to 21 bcm by the end of 2022, while production would grow by 8.7%.

Speaking at a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Novak said exports of pipeline gas had been reduced following “sanctions and sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.”

“Gas supplies increased through the Power of Siberia pipeline to the People’s Republic of China and the volume of supplies amounted to a record 15.5 billion cubic meters,” he added.

On Monday, Russia’s top independent gas producer Novatek issued a report indicating that, according to preliminary estimates, its LNG exports had increased by 6.3% over 2022 compared to a year earlier, reaching 8.45 bcm.

The company increased LNG deliveries to Europe from its Yamal LNG plant in the Arctic by approximately 13.5% over the year, according to calculations by Russian business daily Kommersant.

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