BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 11. In the first quarter of 2022, EU natural gas production reached approximately 12.8 bcm, falling year-on-year again by 9 percent, Trend reports with reference to the European Commission.
The latest report from the EU Commission reveals that in Q1 2022 the actual quarterly production remained well below both the range of 2016-2020 and 2021 figures as well, reflecting the long-term dwindling trend of domestic gas production in the EU.
“Compared to the previous quarter, production grew by 0.7 bcm in Q1 2021, following the increase in seasonal consumption during wintertime. In the biggest gas producer Netherlands, the production fell by 12 percent (by 0.8 bcm), amounting to 5.6 bcm. In Romania, the second biggest gas producer in the EU, production decreased by 6 percent (-0.2 bcm) and reached 2.2 bcm in Q1 2022. At the same time, gas production fell in Poland by 2 percent (-0.1 bcm), whereas in Germany it decreased by 4 percent (-0.04 bcm). Gas production in Italy fell by 13 percent (-0.1 bcm), and by 7 percent in Hungary and by 13 percent in Ireland (changing less than 0.1 bcm in both countries). In Denmark, the production was down by 5 percent (-0.02 bcm),” says the report.
The European Commission notes that although at the beginning of January 2022 the Dutch government foresaw to increase the amount of gas it allows to be produced from the Groningen gas field to up to 7.6 bcm (from an earlier target of 3.9 bcm), at the beginning of April 2022 it was announced that during gas year 2021 (running from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022) the production limit was to be set at 4.5 bcm.
“Although there have been some speculations on, as last resort option, allowing the ramp up the production at the Groningen field in the wake of security of gas supply concerns amid the war in Ukraine, the government decided to definitely phase out the field by 2023. Gas production in Norway increased by 6 percent year-on year, from 29.1 bcm in Q1 2021 to 30.9 bcm in Q1 2022. In the United Kingdom, gas production amounted to 9.4 bcm in Q1 2022, up from 8.9 bcm a year before (+5.1 percent, year-on-year).”
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