West Germany's Deminex and Austria's OMV AG have joined the industry movement to upstream ventures in the Soviet Union.
Deminex signed a heads of agreement with the Soviet Ministry of Oil and Gas Industry to cooperate in exploration in three areas. And OMV started preliminary talks with the ministry to use western technology to develop an undisclosed oil field in Siberia.
Areas covered by Deminex agreement are in the Tatar and western Turkmen Soviet republics and in the region around Volgagrad. The company divulged no details on location of the areas, all of which have been explored by the Soviets.
Preliminary exploration by Deminex is to begin in all the areas in the second half of the year, to be followed by extensive seismic surveys.
A further agreement is to be signed with the ministry, depending on results of the surveys. There will be no drilling until this agreement is signed.
Exploration will be conducted by joint teams of Soviet and German personnel using local and imported equipment.
OMV's talks with the Soviets are part of the company's strategy to increase access to crude oil.
The company's two refineries at Schwechat, Austria, and Burghausen, Germany, require about 160,000 b/d.
OMV Chairman Siegfried Meysel said the company's acquisition of assets in the North Sea and Canada from Mobil North Sea and Esso Resources increased its equity share of crude requirements to 30% from 20%.
OMV also plans to build a network of at least 400 gasoline outlets in Austria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia.
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