UPDATE: Rosneft starts drilling at Khatanga field in northern Laptev Sea

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KHATANGA/ST PETERSBURG, Apr 3 (PRIME) -- Oil major Rosneft has started exploration drilling at the Khatanga license field in the Laptev Sea, the company said in a statement on Monday.

“This is the first time in history that drilling operations are conducted on the continental shelf in Eastern Arctic. The resource potential of the Laptev Sea is estimated at 9.5 billion tonnes of oil equivalent,” Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said.

“I know that all our oil companies and Rosneft in particular always pay special attention to ecological security issues. I assume that this time, especially in the Arctic with its ecosystem being extremely vulnerable to any external interference, all these principles, rules will be observed and you will pay them careful attention,” President Vladimir Putin said during a conference call.

He president also said that the Arctic shelf and seas are very valuable regions in mineral and hydrocarbon resource terms that is why only state-controlled companies are granted licenses for operations there.

“Licenses are issued only to Rosneft and Gazprom. Rosneft should definitely do its best to use the advantage,” he said.

Rosneft CEO said that the company expects the project to be as successful as the 2015 Kara Sea exploration when the Kara petroleum province was discovered. Foreign investors may also participate in it, because anti-Russian sanctions do not cover the project.

“It is possible… the license field’s depth allows working beyond the sanctions regime. This is why we may soon conduct work necessary to attract a partner,” he said.

The debut well with a projected depth of 5,000 kilometers is called Tsentralno-Olginskaya, it will be drilled from the Khara Tumus peninsula under the seabed of the Laptev Sea.

The company also said that it plans to invest 250 billion rubles in the Arctic shelf development in 2017-2021 to drill four exploration wells on the shelf of the Laptev Sea, and eight wells in the Kara and the Barents seas.

This year Rosneft will start drilling in the Black Sea, in 2018 in the Barents Sea, and in 2019 in the Kara Sea under its partnership with the U.S. Exxon, CEO said.

“The joint venture with Exxon functions well, all works are performed under the schedule, and the schedule implies that in 2019 we will launch another stage in the province in cooperation with Exxon,” he said.

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