Russia has increased its natural gas and crude oil output slightly this year, according to Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak.
"For further reliable gas supply to foreign and domestic consumers, an increase in natural gas production continues," Novak said in an article published in the magazine Energeticheskaya Politika (Energy Policy) on Friday.
Gas output in 2019 is expected to rise by 2 percent from the previous year to about 740 billion cubic meters, he said.
Impressive progress was made in the development of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market in 2019, Novak said, who expects Russian LNG exports to grow by almost 44 percent year on year to nearly 39 cubic meters this year.
Despite the volatility of world markets, the Russian oil industry has been demonstrating a trend towards sustainable development, which will continue for many years to come, Novak added.
Preliminary data showed that in 2019 crude oil production will be slightly higher than last year's level, reaching 556-560 million tons, he said.
Editor:Cherie
