Exclusive shelf control
Russian legislators are about to adopt laws which will give state-controlled companies Rosneft and Gazprom the exclusive right to develop the Russian shelf.
The recently adopted Law on Sub-Soil resources from before gives the two companies exclusive rights. Now, the State Duma is speeding up the handling of a bill “on the continental shelf”, which will give the two companies the right to get the shelf hydrocarbon fields without tenders and auctions, Rosbaltnord, reports with reference to Vedomosti. The new bill will help avoid souring relations between Rosneft and Gazprom following conflicting interests on the shelf. The two powerful companies are interested in many of the same fields. From before, a federal law on gas supplies, gives Gazprom the right to get gas fields without tenders and auctions. Now the rule will be extended to the whole shelf and to all hydrocarbon fields.
