Russia's Gazprom energy giant announced on Wednesday slightly reduced profits for the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2006. The company's net profit in the first six months of this year equalled 8.73 billion euros (12.85 billion dollars), a reduction of 2.58 percent on the same period last year, the company said in a statement.
In the second quarter of 2007 the company's net profit was 2.87 billion euros, compared with 3.8 billion euros in the same period last year. The company's turnover in the first half of the year was 31.87 billion euros, representing a five percent rise, Gazprom said.
Natural gas sales grew by five percent to 21.12 billion euros. The period saw a 30 percent rise in exports to former Soviet states, while exports to other countries dropped by four percent, being worth 11.42 billion euros.
The value of gas sales within Russia increased 12 percent to 5.97 billion dollars, resulting from an increase in tariffs in a period that saw a slight reduction in volumes. The company's operating costs in the first half of the year rose by 15 percent to 22.07 billion euros.