the meeting participants discussed the ongoing exports of Russian gas to Austria, noting that gas exports to the country continue to grow in 2019 and the pace is accelerating. According to preliminary data, gas supplies went up by 20.5 per cent in January-April 2019 compared to the same period of 2018, while the May 1–20 period of this year showed a 44 per cent increase.

“По итогам 2018 года доля российского газа в потреблении газа Европой достигла более, чем 35%, а в импорте - 46%, то есть это почти половина. При этом Евросоюз остается основным потребителем газа из России - доля стран Евросоюза в поставках "Газпромом" в прошлом году достигла уже более 86%, что говорит о нашей существенной взаимозависимости, и о том, что мы должны действовать достаточно скоординировано", - заметил замглавы Минэнерго России.

Profit attributable to the owners of PJSC Gazprom for the year ended December 31, 2018 amounted to RUB 1,456,270 million which is by RUB 741,968 million, or 104 %, more than for the year ended December 31, 2017.

The meeting participants reviewed the development prospects of the Chinese gas market and the strategic aspects of cooperation between Gazprom and CNPC, paying particular attention to gas supplies. It was noted that the preparation of facilities for Russian gas exports to China via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline from December 1, 2019, is going according to schedule.

The meeting participants praised the project operator, Sakhalin Energy, for its work.

The parties discussed key areas of cooperation between the companies, including gas supplies and the ongoing construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

It was noted that France ranks among Gazprom's key markets in Europe. The Company's gas exports to the country grew by 58 per cent in five years, reaching 12.9 billion cubic meters in 2018.

GAZPROM - As for digitalization, we are working towards it, specifically towards the digitalization of the gas supply process and the implementation of the distributed ledger technology in our operations.

Russian gas producers Gazprom and RusGazDobycha will start a major gas processing and liquefaction project near the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, Gazprom said on Friday.

Since 2014, gas sales to consumers within the country have grown by 30 per cent, gas transit has increased by 50 per cent, and gas grid coverage has risen from 22 to 30 per cent. In three years (2016–2018), a total of 669 kilometers of distribution pipelines was built, bringing natural gas to an additional 40,500 households.