Russia Q2 gas exports rise 12 pct yr/yr - c.bank

MOSCOW, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Russia's gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) increased natural gas exports by 12 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2008 to 49.6 billion cubic metres (bcm), the central bank said on Monday.

Of total, Gazprom exported 40.9 bcm of gas to Europe and 8.7 bcm to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the central bank said citing customs and state statistics agency data.

Compared to the first quarter of 2008, total gas exports fell by 17 percent from 59.8 bcm. In April-June 2007, exports stood at 44.3 bcm.

The gas exported in the second quarter cost $17.19 billion, almost double from $9.85 billion in the second quarter of last year, but down from $17.93 billion in the previous quarter, the data showed.

Russia's state-controlled Gazprom is the world's largest gas producer and supplies Europe with a quarter of its gas needs. (Reporting by Tanya Mosolova)