Russian Energy Minister likely to visit India this month

Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko is likely to visit New Delhi this month to discuss closer energy ties as India pushes for a stake in big-ticket oilfields of Sakhalin-3 and those in East Siberia.

"The Russian Energy Ministry is coming here to attend the Indo-CIS countries hydrocarbon conference, we are holding on November 25-26," Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey told reporters here.

Energy ministers of most of the CIS nations like Turkmenistan are likely to attend the meeting.

Pandey, who accompanied Petroleum Minister Murli Deora on his two-day visit to Moscow on November 4-5, said New Delhi was pitching for a stake in Sakhalin-3 project.

"We would like to have a similar kind of arrangement as we have in Sakhalin-1," he said.

ONGC Videsh, the overseas arm of state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, has a 20 per cent stake in Exxon Mobil, operated Sakhalin-1 oil and gas fields in Far East Russia.

Deora had yesterday met Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and has sought interest in oilfields in East Siberia and some in north Russia, Pandey said.

The minister made a case for OVL joining hands with Russian firm Rosneft for exploration and development of some fields in East Siberia. Joint bidding for Trebs and Titov oilfields in Timan Pechora region and Vankor oilfield were also raised.

India is keen on Russian companies investing in new refineries and petrochemical projects in India.

Asked if Putin promised any preferential treatment, Pandey said: "We will have to go through the process."