Stroytransgaz ties Angaro-Lenskoye deposit launch with that of Kovykta
Interfax, 09.12.2011
Petromir co-owner PJSC Stroytransgaz is linking the launch of its Angaro-Lenskoye deposit with Gazprom's Kovykta deposit commencing operations, Stroytransgaz chief Sergei Makarov told reporters.
"Kovykta is launched - infrastructure appears in the region," Makarov said.
Despite Stroytransgaz's desire to sell its stake in Petromir, the shareholders of these companies will be making every effort to meet the Angaro-Lenskoye licensing agreement requirements, Makarov said. "We don't want to keep Petromir, but it needs to be sold in good shape, so we can and will support this asset," he said.
A planned sale of the Petromir stake fell through, but Stroytransgaz continues to negotiate with other potential buyers, he said, without identifying any of them.
Stroytransgaz, through subsidiary Jumar & Co, and entrepreneur Anatoly Oruzhevy are the co-owners of Petromir. The company holds licenses to seek, prospect, and produce at three Irkutsk Region deposits: Angaro-Lenskoye, Pravoberezhnoye, and Levoberezhnoye.
The first of those three is located not far from the gigantic Kovykta gas condensate deposit. It was open in 2006 after the drilling of exploratory well #3, and is located in the Zhigalovsky and partially the Ust-Udinsky districts of Irkutsk region 100 kilometers from the Kovykta deposit, which holds around 2 trillion cubic meters of gas.
C1+C2 gas reserves at the Angaro-Lenskoye deposit, which are listed with the State Reserves Commission (GKZ), amount to 1.2 trillion cubic meters: C1- 1.512 billion m3 and C2 - 1.22 trillion m3.
Russia's Federal Natural Resources Oversight Service (Rosprirodnadzor) has said the licensing requirements for these three fields have to be met. Stroytransgaz has been trying for a long time to divest itself of Petromir, which is not a core asset for the company, but so far unsuccessfully.
