Russian companies fear zero effect from Shtokman
The Shtokman Development AG is likely to get green light for unrestricted acquisitions of technology and equipment from abroad. Russian engineering and machine-building companies now increasingly fear they will be squeezed out of the unique project.
President of the Russian Association of Oil and Gas Equipment Producers now says Gazprom and the Shtokman Development AG will not be committed to a 70 percent Russian supply stake as in the Sakhalin-2 project. A decision not to apply the 70 percent regulation in the Shtokman project was taken by government in August this year, Aleksandr Romanikhin says to Agency of Oil and Gas Information.
-This is a very strange decision, which reminds one about a policy of double standards, Mr. Romanikhin says. He believes the Shtokman developers should be committed by the same 70 percent rule as applied in the Sakhalin projects.
-The discussion now is rather about how to remove VAT and import taxes on foreign project equipment, Romanikhin maintains. The Shtokman Development AG has repeatedly stressed the role of Russian suppliers. However, at the same time, the company lobbies for a zero-tax on imports. That will open the way for the foreigners, while the Russian companies will lose the competition, Romanikhin believes.
Foreign companies are already heavily dominating the project development. Symptomatically, the two Shtokman rigs currently under construction are both based on foreign technology. It is the Vyborg yard outside Sankt Petersburg which got the multibillion ruble order from Gazprom subsidiary Gazflot. However, the Russian yard is ordering both the topsides and the drilling equipment from foreign companies. According to Association of Oil and Gas Equipment Producers, one of the rigs – the “Polar Star”— is based on equipment from respectively the South Korean Samsung Heavy Industries and the US. National Oilwell Varco.
Also the Prirazlomnoe field – the first offshore oil field to be opened in the Russian Arctic — is developed without any significant Russian components.
Aleksandr Romanikhin and his association now intend to increase pressure on Russian authorities to secure a higher Russian supplier stake. In that regard he is likely to get the full support from the petroleum supplier networks developed in the Russian Northwest. Both the Murmanshelf Association (Murmansk) and the Sozvedye (Arkhangelsk) have been established by the respective regional administrations together with StatoilHydro to facilitate and improve Russian supplier qualifications.
The Russian Association of Oil and Gas Equipment Producers argues that Russian companies at least should have stake in the construction of the heavy machinery to be built in connection with the project.
According to the organisation, a total of 700 huge dump trucks are needed in the project, as well as two 1250 ton capacity cranes, three 800 ton capacity cranes, 70 cranes with 400 ton capacity, 120 trucks, 20 bulldozers, 40 excavators, 200 cars and 240 buses.
