Crimean Gas Production to Double, Says Medvedev

Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Crimea could double its gas production and it could be connected to Russia’s unified power grid via the Kerch Strait Bridge, or by building its own electricity generation facilities on the peninsula.

“We must resolve this task in the near future and also increase gas output by 1.5-2 times. According to experts, this will be enough to cover Crimea’s electricity requirements. I understand Gazprom has an initiative on this score,” Medvedev said on Monday at the Government House, Moscow. 

Medvedev said that Crimea could turn from a subsidised into a donor region. In the while, Moscow has to provide ‘spare parts and raw materials’ in order to avoid job losses.

Some early estimates suggest that Crimea produces between 65 and 75% of its needs.