Russian gas giant Gazprom has drawn up a short-list on the development of Shtokmanovskoye gas condensate deposit
Russian gas giant Gazprom has drawn up a short-list on the development of Shtokmanovskoye gas condensate deposit on July, 15, Kommersant news daily reported.
The list includes five companies, among which is Japan-based Mitsui, which will construct in Russia a gas liquefaction plant, according to the information of Kommersant.
Norwegian Statoil and Hydro are also likely to be found on the list, while the participation of Gazprom?s American partners ConocoPhilips, Chevron and Sempra is still unclear.
The proved reserves of Shtokmanskoye gas condensate deposit (located in the Barents Sea) amounts to 2,536 trillion cubic meters of gas. Severomorneftgaz, 100-percent-owned by Gazprom, holds the license for the deposit. The project investments are estimated at $10-13 billion, the extraction is due to start in 2011.
Stanislav Tsygankov, Gazprom?s head of the international contacts department reported that the short list of the partners on the development of the deposit had been compiled July 15. He also confirmed that Gazprom had preferred to create several consortiums with foreign partners at different stages of the project but would not insist on holding of controlling package of stocks in them. He said two consortiums are to be set up: the one on the extraction of gas and its refinery into depressed natural gas and another on its shipping to the USA and Canada and its sale. The members of the first consortium are believed to be already chosen. Gazprom will retain a controlling stake in it, while 45-49 percent will be distributed among Statoil, Hydro and Mitsui. The latter has wide experience in building plants of depressed natural gas in Africa, Asia and Australia. Besides it holds 25 percent in Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, an operating company of Sakhalin 2 project which builds a depressed natural gas plant on the Island of Sakhalin with the capacity of 9.6 metric tons.
Gazprom also negotiated the gas shipping and sale with US-Mexican Sempra and ConocoPhilips. Sempra is known not to be interested in shares in other consortiums. The company is also rumored to have entered the short-list of Shtokmanovsky project.
