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Russia could strip Imperial Energy of license over violations -1

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MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's environmental watchdog has sent the results of its audits into the activities of Britain's Imperial Energy to the commission for license revocation, the natural resources ministry said Wednesday.

Imperial Energy is the company engaged in oil exploration and production in former Soviet republics.

Also, Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of the Russian environmental watchdog, has sent a request to the General Prosecutor's Office to institute criminal proceedings against officials who allowed Imperial Energy to carry out preliminary work for the construction of its pipeline in the Tomsk Region in West Siberia at the state's expense, the ministry's press office said.

In particular, the environmental watchdog has sent to the licensing commission of the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use the results of its audits into the fulfillment of licensing agreements by Nord Imperial, Allianceneftegas and Sibinterneft, which are integrated into Imperial Energy, the press office said.

The documents show material breaches of the licensing agreements by the three companies in the Tomsk Region in West Siberia, the press office said.

In particular, Sibinterneft launched geological prospecting with considerable delays and by April 2007 failed to achieve the targets planned for 2004, the press office said.

Meanwhile, Nord Imperial is using forest sections for seismic exploration works on its licensed deposits in the Tomsk Region in the absence of title documents, the press office said.

At the same time, Allianceneftegas started geological prospecting on all its licensed blocks with considerable delays, breaching licensing agreements and the law on subsoil use, the press office said.

Repeated gross violations of nature conservation requirements and licensing agreements by these companies have prompted the environmental watchdog to apply to the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use with a request to terminate prematurely the companies' rights to minerals use, the press office said.

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