The company´s investment budget for the period includes four trillion RUB (€95 billion) to be spent on several giant projects, among them the development of fields in the Yakutia region and the construction of a new pipeline between Yakutia and Vladivostok, information obtained by newspaper Vedomosti shows.
The Shtokman field is part of the plans. According to the program, Gazprom is now getting ready for serious investmens in the development of the offshore Arctic field located not far from the border to Norway. This is the first time Gazprom includes major sums for the Shtokman project in its investment program.
The signals from Gazprom come amid growing uncertainty about progress in the Shtokman project development. After several delays, Gazprom and its project partners Total and Statoil were determined to present the project final investment decision before the end of 2011. However, it now looks increasingly unlikely that the descion will be this year.
Read also: No time for Shtokman clarity this year
In addition, the company will continue its development of projects in the Yamal Peninsula.
Read also: More Yamal projects coming up
The information leak to Vedomosti comes ahead of this Tuesday´s meeting in Gazprom´s Board of Directors. The board members are expected to approve the program, which includes 1.75 trillion RUB (€42 billion) of investments in 2013 and 1.54 trillion RUB (€37 billion) in 2014. In 2012, however, the sum will be far lower – only 777 billion RUB (€18 billion), which is down from 1.28 trillion RUB in 2011.
