Russian gas exports to countries outside a group of former Soviet republics have plummeted 45.5% in 2022, figures from gas giant Gazprom showed on Monday.
Gazprom said in a statement that exports outside the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) totaled 100.9 billion cubic meters, compared to 185.1 billion in 2021.
Europe was previously Gazprom’s top export market, but supplies were drastically reduced due to sanctions following Russia’s offensive in Ukraine in 2022.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said the company had steadily increased shipments to China throughout the year but did not provide details on the volumes.
“As of Jan. 1, we are at a fundamentally new level of gas supplies to China,” Miller said in the statement.
President Vladimir Putin last month inaugurated the Kovykta natural gas field in eastern Siberia, which will allow Russia to increase its exports to China.
Russia has no pipelines to transport gas from its gas fields in western Siberia and the Arctic to China.
However, Russia began developing new fields and building the Power of Siberia pipeline about a decade ago to supply the fast-growing Chinese market.
The first Power of Siberia pipeline became operational and began transporting gas from Eastern Siberia to China in late 2019.
Moscow plans to build a Power of Siberia 2 pipeline.
At a conference last week, Miller admitted Gazprom had had a “very, very difficult” year.
Miller noted a “total shift in energy markets” prompted by sanctions in response to Putin’s decision to send troops to Ukraine.
Gazprom accounts for 11% of world natural gas production and has the largest gas reserves in the world.