Azerbaijan plans to supply 1 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to Russia this year, down from about 1.5 bcm last year, after suspending shipments because of repairs, an official at state energy company SOCAR said on Tuesday.

"The Russian Federation decided to buy 1 bcm of gas this year, and we will supply this volume," SOCAR Vice-President Elshad Nassirov told Reuters on the sidelines of a summit of the Azeri, Turkish and Georgian presidents.

Azerbaijan suspended shipments of gas to Russia from Jan. 13, citing maintenance work on a motorway between the Azeri capital Baku and the Russian border that lies adjacent to the pipeline.

"Repair works are over; supplies have been resumed," Nassirov said.

Russian state-controlled gas company Gazprom could not immediately be reached for comment.

Before the suspension, Azeri gas supplies to Russia amounted to 3 million cubic metres a day, a small fraction of Russia's total gas consumption.

Nassirov said total gas production in Azerbaijan would be in a range of 27 bcm, down from 29.2 bcm last year. 

(Reuters)

Bakudaily.az