MOSCOW, December 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's natural resources minister suggested Wednesday that Norwegian expertise be used to develop a major Russian gas field in the Arctic.
Yuri Trutnev said Norway had vast experience in developing offshore hydrocarbon deposits and that its expertise could prove useful for Russia's Shtokman field, whose recoverable reserves include an estimated 3.2 trillion cu m of natural gas and 31 million metric tons of gas condensate.
Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom, which runs the $10 billion Shtokman project, said extraction would begin in 2010, reaching full capacity in 2011-2012.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Shtokman deposit is to be exported to markets in North America and Europe.