15/02/2021 (Agence Europe) – In the context of reduced demand for hydrocarbons caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Russian gas exports to Europe, including Turkey, fell from 198.97 billion cubic metres to 174.87 billion between 2019 and 2020, a drop of 12.1%, announced Russian gas giant Gazprom on Monday 15 February. Even with these exports on the decline, this result is still higher than the company’s forecasts, which were based on 166.6 billion cubic metres. In addition, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project to link Russia and Germany is still not operational due to delays caused by US sanctions (see EUROPE 12654/25). This project is expected to double the volume of Russian gas transported to the EU with Nord Stream 1 (from 55 billion to 110 billion m3 of gas per year). (DG)