MOSCOW, Aug 20: Russia’s largest independent gas producer Novatek expects its gas production to rise by at least 20 per cent in 2009, the company’s chief financial officer Mark Gyetvay told a conference call.

Novatek plans to increase its output by around 10 per cent this year after nearly flat production last year because of a request from Russia’s gas pipeline monopoly Gazprom to reduce output due to extremely warm winter.—Reuters