OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) foresees lower investments in 2013 of 841.1 billion Russian rubles ($27.2 billion) compared with this year and expects lower prices for natural gas exports to Europe, a Gazprom official who didn't want to be named said Wednesday.

Gazprom usually revises its capital expenditure forecast upward over the course of the year, and in October raised investments for 2012 by almost a quarter to RUB974.7 billion.

Gazprom's budget for next year will be considered at a board meeting Thursday.

The price of gas exports to Europe , Gazprom's most lucrative market, is expected to decline to around $370 per 1,000 cubic meters from over $400 this year, the person cited the budget as saying. The price for Ukraine , which for months has been pushing for a discount, could fall to around $352, the person said, adding that the forecast decrease in prices wouldn't represent a discount but be in line with the pricing formula.

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