Trutnev supporting expansion of companies' access to shelf
MOSCOW. Aug 11 (Interfax) - The access of private Russian companies to work on the shelf could intensify the process of exploring fields, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev said.
According to his opinion, which he expressed in an interview with Forbes, this could "give a push to the development of the sector, which is connected with the production of equipment for the development, production and transportation of hydrocarbons."
At the same time the market now for such activities, to put it mildly, is not very good, he said. "There are no prices. [These are] different things - to do this with an oil price from two years and to do this now. But in principle, I think that companies all the same would arrive. Although competing for sales markets will now be even more difficult than a little while ago. But we will let some amount of time pass and it will be even more difficult to compete," the deputy prime minister said.
The Natural Resources Ministry, which is carrying out the presidential order, has drafted a proposal on the expansion of companies' access to the shelf. According to the ministry, sections on the shelf may be developed by a consortium of companies, which have passed prequalification procedures and received state approval. The consortiums may be made up of both state and private companies. The main conditions are that the companies belong to Russia, have financial and technological opportunities for developing the shelf, and experience in working on the shelf without negative consequences.
