OREANDA-NEWS. March 03, 2010. The Company informs that in January 2010 gas export totaled 172.8 million cu m versus 146.58 million cu m in December and 167.32 million cu m in January of 2009.

Export for December 2008 (178.45 million cu m) still remains a record indicator for SOCAR on own export.

In 2009 it was exported 1.03 bn cu m versus 818.93 million cu m in 2008.

As a result for the past year SOCAR increased its own gas export by 25.9%.

In January 2010 SOCAR launched gas supplies for Russia’s Gazprom but that did not tell drastically on export volumes.

This year Gazprom can acquire from SOCAR about 1 bn cu m of gas that will double its export compared with 2009. Between March and April of the year SOCAR is expected to begin restricted (100 million cu m) supplies for Iran’s NIGEC and then will sign a long-term contract with it. SOCAR is able to increase really its own export 2-2.5 fold in 2010.