Gazprom submits applications for 17 shelf sections to Rosnedra
MOSCOW. Dec 13 (Interfax) - Gazprom has submitted applications for 17 shelf sections located in the Barents and Kara Seas to the Russian Federal Subsurface Resources Agency (Rosnedra), the regulator said in a statement.
"At the moment, materials on these [sections] are under work, and draft Russian government orders are being prepared, as are the conditions for the use of subsoil sections for agreement in the established order with the federal executive authorities, after which the materials will be sent to the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry," the statement said.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry previously said that Gazprom is interested in 23 sections on the shelf of the Arctic seas.
Gazprom was previously interested in the following sections in the Barents and Kara Seas:
| Kara Sea | Leningradskoye field |
| Rusanovskoye field | |
| Myarmeysky section | |
| Skuratovsky section | |
| Amderminskaya structure | |
| North Kharasaveyskaya structure | |
| Nevskaya structure | |
| Severnaya structure | |
| West Sharapovskaya structure | |
| South Obsky section | |
| Bukharinskaya structure | |
| Barents Sea | Ledovoye field |
| Ludlovskoye field | |
| Murmanskoye field | |
| Fersmanovsky section | |
| Demidovskaya structure | |
| West Ludlovskaya structure | |
| Teriberskaya structure | |
| Terskaya structure | |
| Luninskaya structure | |
| Yugo-Vostochny section |
Gazprom submitted these applications in December. However, at the end of November, in a letter addressed to Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Denis Khramov, Rosnedra chief Alexander Popov expressed doubt as to the feasibility of transferring a large number of shelf licenses to Gazprom, since the gas giant's gas reserve provisions are already sufficient for 88 years, and its oil provisions are enough for 116 years.
Besides that, draft government decisions regarding Rosneft's applications for shelf sections have already been written and will be submitted for agreement by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and other authorities. Rosnedra said that the amount of work to be carried out at all of the sections of interest to Rosneft has been agreed.
The government will discuss the development of the Russian shelf at an offsite meeting on December 19.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has repeatedly criticized Rosneft and Gazprom for low amounts of seismic work at the sections they are requesting. The ministry has not agreed to issue Rosneft licenses for 12 sections on the shelf for this reason.