Changeover: on the cards at Kovykta
Gazprom set to take Kovykta keys
Gazprom boss Alexei Miller said today he expected to close a long-delayed deal to buy the giant Kovykta gas field from BP's Russian oil venture, TNK-BP, "in the near future", local media reported.
"We will close in the near future," Miller was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency when asked about the deal while on a visit to Libya with President Vladimir Putin, a Reuters report said.
Under the complicated deal, Gazprom would buy TNK-BP's Kovykta field in East Siberia while TNK-BP could be invited back to take part in the field as part of a wider agreement on co-operation.
TNK-BP agreed to sell the field, which has enough reserves to supply the world with gas for almost a year, after Gazprom blocked the company's plans to use the reserves for gas exports to China.