Georgia sets records for oil, gas imports from Russia

Georgia has significantly increased its imports of Russian gas and oil, with 2024 seeing the highest levels since 2009 and 2017 respectively.

Imports of Russian natural gas reached a record-breaking $180.9 million last year, marking a 38% increase from 2023, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

This is the highest level since 2009, with no earlier data available. The majority of these purchases were for pipeline gas supplied from Russia to Tbilisi, accounting for $145.7 million.

In December alone, imports amounted to $37.2 million, contributing to a total of $40.7 million in foreign natural gas purchases for the month. This is more than double the figure from November and 80% higher compared to December 2023.

Georgia has significantly increased its imports of Russian oil, with a nearly two-thirds rise, reaching a total value of $5.8 million – the highest level since 2017. In December alone, oil purchases totalled $3 million, a 2.6-fold increase compared to November. Data for December 2023 is yet to be released.

At the same time, the import of petroleum products from Russia has declined by 6%, falling to $519.5 million. However, December saw a rebound, with purchases increasing by 1.4 times compared to November, reaching $47.7 million, and showing a year-on-year rise of 1.2 times.

Other mineral fuels imported by Georgia in 2024 include coke and semi-coke from coal, valued at $42.1 million, coal imports amounting to $12.4 million, and petroleum coke, bitumen, and other petroleum residue products worth $11.6 million.

By Aghakazim Guliyev