MOSCOW, June 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Natural Resources Ministry said Tuesday it had published a list of mineral-resource sites it was offering for prospecting in 2006.
The list contains four categories: eight sites on Russia's continental shelf, 111 hydrocarbon sites, seven groundwater sites and 67 solid mineral sites.
Hydrocarbon resources at eight sites on Russia's continental shelf are estimated at some 20 billion metric tons.
Only Russian subsoil users are authorized to prospect the sites, and applications must be made within 60 days of the list's publication. Prospectors will pay all costs themselves.
