RUSSIA DATA: Gazprom says it raised Europe exports from March 1, offsetting 29% plunge since Jan. 1

Russia's Gazprom said March 15 it had substantially boosted export levels in the first half of the month, particularly to nine European countries including Italy, Poland and Croatia, helping offset a plunge in shipments since the start of the year and a collapse in European storage levels.

In a statement, the state company said its production in the period from Jan. 1 to March 15 had been on a par with last year's level at 111.5 Bcm.

Warmer weather in February contributed to a 6%, or 4.8 Bcm, drop in domestic deliveries over the period, while exports to the "far abroad" -- meaning countries outside the Commonwealth of Independent States -- dropped by 28.5% compared with a year earlier, to 30.7 Bcm. Within the total export volume, deliveries to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline increased, it added, without specifying the amount.

However, in the current month to March 15, so-called "far abroad" exports were 16% higher than in the first 15 days of February, and 39% higher than the first 15 days of January, Gazprom said.

Higher than previous year

Deliveries to nine European countries March 1-15 were higher than in the previous year, including a 51.7% increase in supplies to Italy, a 71.8% increase for Poland, a 110.9% increase to Croatia, 34.6% for Greece, 24.4% for Bulgaria and 21.1% for Turkey, Gazprom said.

Alluding to European shortages that predate Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it reiterated: "Gazprom continues to deliver gas in accordance with customer demand in full accordance with its contractual obligations."

It added that gas transit via Ukraine continued as normal and in accordance with customer requirements, despite the military conflict, with transit volumes via the route set to total 109.6 million cu m for March 15.

Storage exhaustion

Citing infrastructure group Gas Infrastructure Europe, it added that as of March 13 European gas storage levels were 20.4%, or 6.6 Bcm, lower than a year earlier, with the amount supplied by the company in summer 2021 fully extracted from storage by February.

"Already 50.4 Bcm of gas, or 106.6% of the amount the company was able to supply in summer 2021, has been extracted ... " it said. "Current extraction [from storage] is gas left over from previous years."

"The general level of remaining gas in European storage is 26.2%. Germany's underground storage has been 74.9% emptied, France's 80.8%."