Gazprom expands at Shtokman
The gas company adds new waters to the Shtokman license.
Gazprom pays 981.7 million RUB (€25 million) for the license rights over an area located to the west of the current Shtokman field license. The new license, which was offered by the Russian Mineral Development Agency (Rosnedra), includes parts of the Shtokman field resources, RIA Novosti reports. With its 3.9 trillion cubic meters of reserves, the Shtokman field is considered one of the biggest offshore gas fields in the world.
The Shtokman field (illustration: BarentsObserver/Sevmorneftegaz)
The gas company’s expansion of the Shtokman waters was reportedly approved by the federal government in a meeting 6 February this year.
From before, Gazprom controls the main Shtokman field license through its subsidiary Gazprom Dobycha Shelf.
Read also:Shtokman LNG to substitute nuclear in Japan
The huge gas field will be developed by the Shtokman Development AG, a joint venture of Gazprom, Total and Statoil. After a number of postponements, the Shtokman partners now maintain that the project final investment decision will be taken in March this year.
Read also: Another Shtokman-delay in the pipeline
The main intriguing issue for the field partners now is a much-expected tax break, seen as a prerequisite for a profitable field development.
Read also: Shtokman tax breaks will come – Total
