The launch of the giant Arctic Shtokman gas field in Russia's north-west may be put off to 2018, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Subsoil Usage Pyotr Sadovnik said on Thursday.
"We still have plans to launch the Shtokman field in 2013-2014. Work is being done. There are questions about postponement to 2018, we have not made the decision yet," Sadovnik said.
The launch may be postponed due to active development and use of shale gas in the U.S., prompting lower demand for natural gas.
"In such a situation, with such costs there are risks that the gas will find no demand," he said.
The Shtokman offshore field is one of the world's largest maritime shelf gas deposits. Gazprom is the license holder for the deposit. Its partners in the project are France's Total and Norway's Statoil.
Deposit's reserves amount to 3.9 trillion cubic meters of natural gas of C1 category and 56.1 million tons of gas condensate, while 3.8 trillion cm of natural gas and 53.4 million tons of gas condensate are located in Gazprom's license area.
MOSCOW, February 17 (RIA Novosti)
