February 14, 2008 By James Kimer

Getting the Facts Right about Russia’s Gas

Here is a letter to the editor of the FT by energy expert Jonathan Stern:

Important new Russian gas fields Sir, Regular readers of the Financial Times have no expectation that your leader page will ever say anything positive about Russia but, whatever their opinions, your writers should at least make an effort to get their facts right. Contrary to the assertion that “in 15 years, Gazprom has yet to open a single important new gas field” (“Gazprom at 15”, editorial, February 13), in 2001 the company began production from the super-giant Zapolyarnoye field, which now produces 100 bcm/year – more than the annual production of the UK North Sea at its peak.