JSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia will maintain production of commercial gas at the level of last year in 2019, Andriy Favorov, the director of the integrated gas business at Naftogaz Ukrainy, has said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"Let's look at the statistics on commercial gas: 11.7 billion cubic meters in 2015, some 12.1 billion cubic meters in 2016, and 13.4 billion cubic meters in 2017. In 2018, there was almost no growth in commercial gas extraction, in 2019 we are holding the situation, there may be a slight increase in production. Therefore, when they say that Ukrgazvydobuvannia reduced production by 2-3% in 2019, this is not correct, we reduced statements on production and technological expenses," he said.

According to him, a significant increase in production and technological expenses in recent years is due to changes in the methodology for obtaining numbers that were laid down in the "20/20" program, the impossibility to implement which became clear after blocking the issuance of new licenses to the company.

Favorov recalled that the increase in gross production in 2015-2017 occurred due to the work carried out by the company to intensify production, in particular hydraulic fracturing and well overhauls, after which it remained virtually unchanged.

"We see there is depletion, that until recently we had no new licenses. Now we are in the strategic middle, where the old can no longer fundamentally change the situation, and the new is not yet prepared. Therefore, blaming the company for not increasing production is cynical," he said.

He noted that after his arrival at the end of 2018, an analysis was carried out in the company, on the basis of which the decision was made to abandon inefficient drilling.