Gazprom May Invite Foreign Partners To New Sakhalin Projects
September 02 2009 - 6:28AM
Dow Jones News
Russian gas firm OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) may invite foreign
partners to develop the Sakhalin-3 and Sakhalin-4 projects in
Russia's Far East, the company's Deputy Chief Executive Valery
Golubev said Wednesday.
Foreign energy companies might be involved in the Sakhalin
projects on a "financial, technological and to some extent
operating level," Golubev said.
Gazprom will seek to spread the risks connected with development
of the challenging offshore projects and "it might be necessary to
draw on expertise along the same lines as Shtokman," Golubev
said.
The state-controlled company invited France's Total S.A. (TOT)
and Norway's StatoilHydro ASA (STO) as minority partners in the
giant Shtokman field in the Barents Sea. Gazprom, however, kept the
ownership rights to all reserves at the field.
Gazprom already holds a controlling stake in the Sakhalin-2
project, which has Anglo-Dutch oil major Royal Dutch Shell PLC
(RDSA) and the Japanese firms Mitsubishi Corp. (8058.TO) and Mitsui
& Co. Ltd. (8031.TO) as minority partners.
Company Web site: www.gazprom.ru
-By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Dow Jones Newswires; +7 495 937
8445; jacob.pedersen@dowjones.com