2 Mar 2018 15:24

Other cos besides ExxonMobil ready to operate on Artic Shelf - Natural Resources Ministry

KRASNOYARSK. March 2 (Interfax) - The Russian Natural Resources and Environment Ministry is not planning to meet with Rosneft management to discuss the situation with the development of the Arctic shelf following ExxonMobil's withdrawal from a project, "Currently we are not planning to get involved in the process: after all, this is a private matter for the two companies. I need more information - how are they withdrawing, what will happen with the investments already made, how Rosneft sees its goals on the Arctic shelf," Russian Minister of Natural Resources Sergey Donskoi told reporters in Krasnoyarsk on Friday.

A solution will be found very soon, as the parties factored in such risks when implementing the project, the minister said. "Of course, there were such risks, especially for American companies - they have their owners across the ocean, who have their own views of how everything should develop. It's clear that new solutions are necessary, but there are other companies, not just American ones, which are more than prepared to operate on our Arctic shelf. Most importantly, we have the resources for that," Donskoi said.