MUMBAI (Commodity Online): Russian energy giant Gazprom has expressed hope that it can export larger natural gas in 2010 as the global economy has begun to recover after the crisis.

According to Mikhail Malgin, head of the Gazprom Export department for northwestern markets, the economic crisis are getting softened and the company is expecting more natural gas exports. However, the company doesn't expect sharp increase in exports, he added.

Malgin said export deliveries in the first four months of 2010 were considerably higher than in the same period last year. The first quarter of 2010 was somewhere at the level 2008 or maybe slightly less, Malgin said.

According to its financial statements, Gazprom reduced natural gas exports by 13.4% in 2009 year on year to 205.826 billion cubic meters.

Energy