UPDATE:Russia to auction 3 huge northern gas, oil fields in Jul–Sep

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MOSCOW, Feb 3 (PRIME) -- The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry will auction the Layavozhskoye and Vaneivisskoye gas and oil deposits in the Nenets Autonomous District and the Erginskoye oil deposit in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District in the north of Russia in July–September, according to data of the authority.

Minister Sergei Donskoi said that the initial payment for the Layavozhskoye and Vaneivisskoye fileds will exceed 8 billion rubles.

Earlier Russian gas giant Gazprom and oil major Rosneft filed bids for licenses to develop the deposits. The recoverable gas reserves (A, B, C1) of the Vaneivisskoye filed are estimated at 85.183 billion cubic meters, while reserves of the Layavozhskoye deposit stand at 137.915 billion.

A representative of the ministry said that the initial payment for the Erginskoye oil field will stand at about 6.5 billion rubles.

Russian oil company Gazprom Neft is interested in the auction. The potential and recoverable oil reserves (C1, C2) of the Erginskoye oil field stand at 103 million tonnes.

The ministry has also prepared materials to offer licenses for 10 oil and gas fields with total reserves of 220 million tonnes of oil and 225 billion cubic meters of gas. The total initial payment is estimated at 22 billion rubles.

(77.9273 rubles – U.S. $1)

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