Gazprom may join soon major oil exploration project in Nigeria

Gazprom is seeking to join Statoil’s deepwater exploration project in Nigeria as the world’s biggest gas producer aims to catch up with international companies operating in Africa. NiGaz Energy, a joint venture between Gazprom and Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., may start talks as early as next month on a potential interest in the Nnwa Doro block, which holds as much as 5 trillion cubic feet of gas, said Mohammed Bello, the venture’s managing director. “We are just starting to talk,” Bello said in an interview late Tuesday. “The board has to decide. We have a meeting next month.”