OREANDA-NEWS. June 24, 2010. Governor of Arkhangelsk Oblast Ilya Mikhalchuk and, Shtokman Development AG CEO Alexei Zagorovsky decided to establish joint working groups to focus on key aspects of Shtokman project at a recent meeting, the press service of the regional administration said.

"The working groups will allow more tight and focused contacts with the operating companies on the Shtokman project. The more support industries, we will place in the region, the more successful will be the development of our regional economy ", Ilya Mikhalchuk was quoted as saying.

There are scores of servicing companies emerging in the region, aimed at the development of the Arctic shelf, with the participation of foreign companies, the Arkhangelsk government said. Over 150 firms of the Arkhangelsk region are able to offer their capacity to implement the Shtokman project. It would be logical and cost-effective to place in the region, a logistic and distribution center and a comprehensive framework for the project, the regional officials said.

An earlier report said, Alexei Zagorovsky was appointed the new CEO of Shtokman Development AG at the general stockholders' meeting on June 21 this year.
The Shtokman field is located in the central part of the Russian sector of the Barents Sea. The giant Shtokman's field holds an estimated 3.8 trillion cubic meters of natural gas and 53.3 million metric tons of gas condensate, where Gazprom plans to build a liquefied natural gas plant. Gazprom Neft Shelf (formerly SevMorNefteGaz, a 100-percent subsidiary of Gazprom) licensed Shtokman field for geological prospecting and production of gas and gas condensate.
Shtokman Development AG (Shtokman Development AG) was established for implementation of the Shtokman project by Russia's Gazprom, France's Total and Norway's StatoilHydro. GazProm holds a 51% stake in the Swiss Zug-based joint venture, French Total - 25%, and StatoilHydro – 24.

The project’s first phase is expected to produce annually 23.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Some USD 12-14 billion will be invested in the project's first phase, and production will begin in 2011. The final decision on LNG production, of the project’s second phase, is scheduled to be approved by the end of 2011. According to the stockholders, this will allow starting gas production for delivery through the pipeline in 2016 and to ensure the production of LNG in 2017.