The Russian energy major Gazprom said on Tuesday that its natural gas exports outside former Soviet Union countries decreased by 28.5% year-on-year to 30.7 billion cubic meters (bcm) from January 1 to March 15.
In its report on the results of its activities for two and a half months of the current year, Gazprom added that its gas exports beyond former Soviet Union countries from March 1 through March 15 increased 15.6% compared to the first 15 days of February.
It stated that its gas output from January 1 to March 15 stood at 111.5 bcm, broadly unchanged from the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the Russian company’s exports to Turkey from March 1 through March 15 increased by 21.1% year-over-year. The company’s natural gas shipments also jumped 51.7% to Italy, 71.8% to Poland, 110.9% to Croatia, 34.6% to Greece and 24.4% to Bulgaria.
The company said Europe's underground natural gas storage facilities were at 26.2% capacity as of March 13, citing Gas Infrastructure Europe data, a 20.4% decrease compared to last year's figures.
As the world’s leading gas producer, Gazprom accounts for 12% of the global gas output and 68% of gas production in Russia.
