Record amount of gas supplied to Russian consumers from Gazprom’s gas transmission system during 2021–2022 heating season

The Gazprom Management Committee reviewed the operating results of the Gazprom Group entities and organizations for the 2021–2022 autumn/winter period and discussed the measures to be taken for ensuring uninterrupted gas supplies to consumers in the upcoming 2022–2023 autumn/winter period.

It was noted that the weather in the past autumn/winter period in the area covered by Russia's Unified Gas Supply System (UGSS) was generally close to the climate normal. However, temperatures in December 2021 were below the climate normal. As a result of a cold snap, air temperature would drop to an abnormally low minus 17 degrees Celsius (9 degrees below the climate normal for the month). During this period, Gazprom promptly brought its production facilities to their full capacity. For instance, the daily deliverability of Russian UGS facilities in the last days of December was at its highest in the previous five years, while gas supplies to the domestic market from Gazprom's gas transmission system (GTS) reached 1.656 billion cubic meters per day. This is comparable to monthly gas consumption during cold periods in such areas as the Chelyabinsk Region or the Republic of Bashkortostan.

In addition, the past heating season offered further proof that the winter period includes March, which is traditionally considered a spring month on the calendar. For two weeks in mid-March of 2022, temperatures stayed below the climate normal, whereas March 10 saw the average temperature fall to minus 11 degrees Celsius in the area covered by the UGSS.

According to preliminary data, the aggregate amount of gas supplied to Russian consumers via Gazprom's GTS (resources provided by all suppliers) hit a record level in Q4 2021 and Q1 2022. Specifically, there was an increase in demand compared to the previous autumn/winter period on the part of the power, petrochemical, cement, agrochemical and metals industries.

In October-March, as always, Gazprom fulfilled all of its obligations to domestic consumers and requests under export contracts.

The results of the past autumn/winter period serve as yet another reminder of the importance of stockpiling the required amounts of gas in underground storages and maintaining their high deliverability until the end of the cold season. The reliable operation of Gazprom's UGS facilities in Russia had been achieved via bringing their working gas inventories to 72.638 billion cubic meters with a potential maximum daily deliverability of 847.9 million cubic meters by the past heating season. Both of these figures mark all-time records for the domestic gas sector.

In order to ensure the reliable operation of the UGSS in the 2022–2023 autumn/winter period, the Management Committee tasked the specialized structural units and subsidiaries to:

• by the next withdrawal season, stockpile 72.662 billion cubic meters of working gas inventories in UGS facilities in Russia and increase their potential maximum daily deliverability to 852.4 million cubic meters, therefore reaching new record-highs. The working gas inventories in the Republic of Belarus will amount to 1.09 billion cubic meters, and in the Republic of Armenia – 0.107 billion cubic meters;
• develop the Basic Guidelines on preparing the facilities of Gazprom's subsidiaries and organizations for the 2022–2023 autumn/winter period;
• in line with the developed schedule, perform scheduled preventive maintenance and repairs at gas production, transmission (including the Nord Stream gas pipeline), underground storage and processing facilities, provide for the implementation of the planned investment projects, and prepare transport and specialized equipment for winter operations.