Protecting Russian oil interests in Arctic
Foreign companies engaged in the development of hydrocarbon projects on the Russian Arctic shelf must meet Russian interests to the biggest possible extent, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said in a meeting in the Maritime Board in Arkhangelsk today.
The statement, which was a clear message to Shtokman partners Total and StatoilHydro, was made in today’s meeting in the Maritime Board, a government body of key representatives of maritime interests.
Mr. Ivanov highlighted that the foreigners must obide to Russian interest when participating in offshore project. That includes the use of technology, manpower, as well developing the fields to the benefit of the people living in the far north, Oilru.com reports.
The Shtokman Development AG – a consortium of Gazprom, Total and StatoilHydro – is currently in the phase of preparing for the development of the huge Shtokman field in the Barents Sea. In addition, Sevmoreneftegaz – a subsidiary of Gazprom – is planning the launch of the Prirazlomnoe oil field in the Pechora Sea in 2011. The two fields will be the first offshore fields ever in production in the Russian Arctic.
