Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1 -- Russia's Natural Resources Minister Yuri Trutnev said Nov. 1 that a final decision on the future of the Sakhalin-2 project likely will be made jointly with the Cabinet later in November, possibly in the third week.
Trutnev told journalists his ministry was prepared to give the project's operator Sakhalin Energy Co. an extra week to present a plan outlining efforts to correct what he called "the ecological abuse" discovered by the government's recent inspection of the site.
In late October, Trutnev said construction on several sections of the Sakhalin-2 onshore pipeline system had to be halted for environmental legislation violations (OGJ Online, Oct. 25, 2006).
Royal Dutch Shell PLC has a 55% stake in the operator company, while Japan's Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. hold 25% and 20% stakes respectively.
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].
