Gazprom drafting proposals on gas supplies to U.S.

By the end of this year Gazprom, the Russian natural gas monopoly, will form a package of proposals on the implementation of a project to supply liquefied natural gas to the United States.

In an address to a Russian-American seminar on liquefied natural gas, Alexander Ryazanov, the deputy chairman of Gazprom, said, "before the end of the year, we intend to form a package of proposals on the development of deposits within the framework of a project to sell liquefied natural gas in the United States and organize its transportation and delivery there."

According to Mr. Ryazanov, Gazprom is interested in continuing its constructive dialogue with the U.S. on liquefied natural gas sales. He stressed that the development of this dialogue was impossible without "our government making constructive decisions on this issue."

"It is generally believed that the U.S. gas market is very promising not only for Russian gas supplies, but for other countries' supplies as well," he noted. "The American market will not wait for Russian gas if we do not make prompt decisions."

Ivan Matyorov, the deputy industry and energy minister, also addressed the seminar and noted that investments in projects connected with liquefied natural gas supplies and the elaboration of a plan for transporting liquid natural gas are priorities for Russia in the gas sphere.

"We hope that during today's meeting," he continued, "we will achieve some concrete results and probably, the sides will submit some proposals on concrete projects and deposits."

Currently, the sides are examining two projects to build plants in Russia (in Murmansk, a port on the Barents Sea in northwestern Russia, and in Sakhalin, a Russian island in the Pacific Ocean) to produce natural gas and supply it to the United States.