Gazprom, Novatek sign LNG

Russian gas giant Gazprom and the country's largest independent gas producer Novatek signed a memorandum on Tuesday allowing them to set up joint venture companies to produce liquefied natural gas and develop gas fields on the Arctic Peninsula of Yamal. The first joint venture may be set up at the giant Tambeiskaya area of gas condensate fields with Gazprom's share of 75 percent and Novatek's stake of 25 percent to produce LNG, the companies said in a joint statement. As for the second joint venture, it will be based at the Salmanovskoye gas field, operated by Novatek, for further gas production at the deposit. The stakes of the gas companies will be 50 percent each. Explored and estimated natural gas reserves on the Yamal Peninsula are estimated at 16 trillion cubic meters under the ABC1 +C2 category while predicted reserves amount to nearly 22 trillion cubic meters. By 2020, the Yamal Peninsula is expected to account for 20-25 percent of Gazprom's output.