Russia's Gazprom says profits hit record in 2003

摘要

Gazprom,Russia's natural gas monopoly,chalked up record revenues and profits in 2003,thanks to strong gas prices,CFO Boris Yurlov told reporters Jan 28.Gazprom's 2003 profit of Roubles 208-bil (US7.17-bil) was "unique in the whole history of the company," Yurlov said.He described export earnings on gas sales to Europe of US16.5-bil as a "fantastic figure." The coming year is expected to see further gains,with gas exports earning an anticipated Roubles 524-bil,which converts to US 17.76-bil at an exchange rate of Roubles 29.5 to the US dollar,Yurlov said.Government forecasts of currency exchange rates this year have fluctuated in recent weeks following a 20% gain in the value of the rouble against the dollar.