MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. Russia’s natural gas production went down by 15.3% in January-May 2023 year-on-year to 233 bln cubic meters, the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) said on Wednesday.

In particular, gas production in May amounted to 39.6 bln cubic meters, down by 19.3% year-on-year, and by 11% month-on-month.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) production totaled 13.7 mln tons in five months, down by 3.8% compared with the same period in the previous year. In May, LNG production equaled 2.9 mln tons, 4.1% higher than in May 2022, and 4.2% higher than in April 2023.

Associated petroleum gas production edged up by 1.4% in January-May to 44.1 bln cubic meters, Rosstat said.

According to the energy ministry, Russia’s gas export went down by 30.7% in 2022 to 170.6 bln cubic meters. Gas production in the country fell by 11.7% last year to 673.8 bln cubic meters. That said, the ministry expects gas production to continue decreasing this year due to the fact that European consumers are abandoning the Russian gas and it is hardly possible to redirect gas flows immediately. Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov said earlier that Russia’s gas production is currently 8-10% below the forecast, while LNG production is expected to rise to 32 mln tons in 2023 from 30 mln tons in the previous year.

Earlier, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projected an 8% decrease in Russia’s gas production this year to 620 bln cubic meters.