Petrom, Romania's largest company, the only petroleum and gas producer in Romania, saw a rebound of its hydrocarbon production in the last three months of last year, but did not manage to extract a similar level to that recorded in the fourth quarter of 2008. Petrom extracted 187,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in the fourth quarter of last year, 1% more than in the third quarter, mainly due to improved results in the Komsomolskoe oil field operated by Petrom in Kazakhstan. As for natural gas, according to OMV data, Petrom's production in the last three months of last year amounted to 1.37 million cubic metres, 38% more against the third quarter of 2009 and around 3% more against the similar period of 2008. "Petrom's gas sales rose by 3% against the last quarter of 2008, whilst demand on the Romanian market was largely stable," says representatives of OMV, the Austrian group that controls Petrom. According to the quoted sources, Petrom allocated 55 million euros in provisions in expectation of the outcome of a tax review for 2004 to 2008.