MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/. Russia’s gas giant Gazprom boosted production by 12.4% to 472 billion cubic meters (bcm) and exports to Europe by 8.1% to 193.6 bcm in 2017, the company’s CEO Alexei Miller told reporters on Wednesday.

"In 2017, according to operative data, Gazprom produced 471 bcm of gas, up 12.4% as compared to 2016. It is the best growth in production in the company’s history. In absolute figures, the production increased by 51.9 bcm," Miller said.

Miller added that "2017 was the year of Gazprom’s new records of exports."

"We set a new record of exports per year. According to operative data, in 2017 the company exported 193.9 bcm of gas to non-CIS countries, which is 14.6 bcm (by 8.1%) above the previous maximum reached in 2016 (179.3 bcm)," he said.