The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources is taking efforts to overcome the growing conflict of interest between the two Russian state-controlled energy giants. In a meeting with company representatives this week, Minister Sergey Donskoy called for enhanced cooperation. He does not exclude that the two companies will end up with a compromise, which includes their joint development of fields, newspaper Vedomosti reports.
As previously reported, relations between Gazprom and Rosneft have soured following the government’s decision to grant the two companies carte blanche on the shelf. Both companies are seeking to grab the most perspective Arctic fields, and several of the claims are overlapping.
The situation is further aggravated by an increasing interest in the development of LNG by Rosneft, as well as by the company’s bid to break Gazprom’s exclusive monopoly rights on LNG exports. Gazprom on the other hand is actively using its oil subsidiary Gazprom Neft to intervene in Rosneft’s sphere of interest.
