Awwal 24, 1432 / April 28, 2011, SPA -- Russian energy giant Gazprom produced a net surplus just shy of 1 trillion roubles in 2010 thanks chiefly to surging gas prices, the company reported Thursday, according to dpa. Gazprom said its surplus came to 998 billion roubles (36 billion dollars), up almost 26 per cent from 2009. The surplus came on pre-tax profits of 1.27 trillion roubles, almost 30 per cent higher. Sales in 2010 totalled 3.59 trillion roubles, up 20 per cent, the Russian gas concern said. Besides rising natural gas prices on the market, Gazprom's earnings also were bolstered by the company's sale of its 9.4 per cent stake in the second-largest gas producer, Novatek. The value of that transaction was not given.
