Moscow, February 16 / Tas /. Gasprom’s gas exports to France have increased 1.5 times since the beginning of this year. The country’s underground storage reserves are below 30 per cent, the major gas producer said on Tuesday. Russian Gas said in a statement.

The demand for natural gas in European countries is increasing during the cold winter months, while the reserves of European underground storage are shrinking. According to Gas Infrastructure Europe, gas storage in French underground storage facilities is less than 30 percent. Gazprom said.

The company said last week that Germany’s Russian gas purchases increased by 47.8 percent in the first ten days of February compared to the same period last year. Cold winters increase gas demand in Europe.

Gasprom’s gas exports to non-CIS countries grew by 36.5 per cent (7.4 billion cubic meters) to 27.5 billion cubic meters from January 1 to February 15. Russia’s gas consumers are Germany (35.5%), Turkey (30.5%), Italy (112.7%), France (43, 7%), Poland (63.7%) and the Netherlands (8.4%).