Russia and US Discuss Joint Arctic Gas Projects

Left to right: Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin, and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak at the plenary session of the eighth Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow. Source: Maxim Bogodvid / GECF Summit Photo Host Agency

Russia and the United States are discussing possible joint gas projects in the Arctic, ranging from field development to natural gas liquefaction, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit in Moscow on Tuesday, TASS reports.

“If we’re talking about the Arctic zone, that means developing fields or taking part in joint natural gas liquefaction projects—in other words, the areas that are actively developing in Russia today. … So, yes, for now this is only being discussed, but we’ll see,” Novak said.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin raised the topic in his address to the summit’s plenary session:

“In the Arctic, we are actively working with many countries around the world that are interested in cooperation. Until quite recently, European partners were working alongside us at our fields, and so were Chinese partners. We are now exploring the possibility of working together with American partners.”

The remarks follow comments earlier this month by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, who said talks with Washington on Arctic and LNG projects were underway but that no deal had been signed.

The eighth GECF summit, chaired by Putin, brought together leaders and delegations from the forum’s 12 member states—Russia, Iran, Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, the UAE, and Venezuela—along with eight observer countries. Together, GECF members control about 70% of the world’s proven natural gas reserves. The summit, which marked the forum’s 25th anniversary, concluded with the adoption of the Moscow Declaration.