2nd UPDATE:Statoil: No More Invest In Iran In Current Climate
October 30 2009 - 11:37AM
Dow Jones News
StatoilHydro ASA (STO) Friday said it has no plans to make any
fresh investment in Iran, and confirmed its obligations at the
Khorramabad block there have ended.
Company spokeswoman Maria Dotterud said: "We will not in the
current situation make any further investment in Iran."
She said the company's obligations relating to seismic
activities at the Khorramabad block in Iran were concluded before
2009, and there are no firm plans to drill the first exploration
well there.
"We have reduced our activities in Iran over the last year,"
Dotterud said.
Mehr News Agency in Tehran reported Friday the seismic data
collected at Khorramabad verified the existence of "extensive gas
and oil reserves" in the block which is owned by the National
Iranian Oil Company.
StatoilHydro's Web site said exploration on the Anaran field in
Iran "resulted in promising commercial discoveries in recent years"
but noted "work on this project is currently suspended." Some
lawmakers have questioned the extent of StatoilHydro's
participation in the Iranian energy sector.
Under the U.S. Iran Sanctions Act companies are prohibited from
investing more than $20 million in the country. Earlier this month
U.S. federal lawmakers raised the issue again, urging the Obama's
administration to enforce the act and asking whether the State
Department has determined how much and which companies may have
violated it.
The act aims to limit investment in Iran in response to the
country's violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions ordering a
halt to uranium enrichment.
Other companies, including Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA), Eni
(ENI.MI) and Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PBR) are also being
scrutinized for their investments.
Company Web site: www.statoilhydro.com
By Elizabeth Adams and Benoit Faucon, Dow Jones Newswires; +44
(0) 20 7842 9386; elizabeth.adams@dowjones.com