By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Sept.10 -- Statoil ASA's Snøhvit LNG development experience off Norway—and the ability to market LNG in North America (OGJ Online, June 14, 2004)—may lead to its participation, along with Russian giants OAO Gazprom and OAO NK Rosneft, in developing supergiant Shtokmanovskoye gas condensate field in the arctic Barents Sea (OGJ Online, July 16, 2002), and to their participation in the Snøhvit project and use of Statoil regasification capacities in North America (OGJ Online, June 14, 2004).
The Russian firms signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Moscow Sept. 8 with Statoil to conduct studies investigating the feasibility of their joint participation in the three LNG projects. The companies will establish a trilateral management committee and a working group to oversee a 6-month course of studies.
"The memorandum . . . opens a new page in our cooperation with Statoil," said Gazprom Chairman Alexey Miller. "We have giant gas reserves offshore Barents Sea and Statoil has LNG production and transportation experience and market access to the North American market, which is strategically important for us. By joining forces for studying these promising projects we will be able to achieve good results."
"The Arctic offshore has been and remains a region of strategic interests for Rosneft," commented Rosneft Pres. Sergey Bogdanchikov. "We consider this beginning of close cooperation with Statoil in the Barents Sea as an important step forward for a commercial development of the giant oil and gas reserves in this region."
"Statoil sees the Barents region as a natural growth area for Statoil. We look forward to a fruitful long-term cooperation with Gazprom and Rosneft, initially focusing on sharing with them our experience from the development of the Snøhvit LNG project and our ability to market this gas in North America," added Statoil CEO and Pres. Helge Lund.
Statoil late last month also signed a 3-year collaboration agreement with Germany's Linde AG and Aker Kvaerner of Lysaker, Norway to further develop cost-effective technology for ship-based production, storage, and offloading LNG in remote areas (OGJ Online, Sept. 03, 2004).