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MOSCOW, June 7 (Reuters) - Rosneft has kicked off
meetings with foreign contractors and suppliers for its massive
Vostok Oil project, the Russian energy producer said on Monday.
It aims to begin shipping oil from the planned project in
2024 via the Northern Sea Route, an alternative to the Suez
Canal which shortens travels to the energy-hungry markets of
Asia.
It has met large contractors from Italy, Germany, China,
South Korea and Japan as part of its road show, Rosneft said.
Rosneft estimates the project's resources at 6.2 billion
tonnes of oil and plans to build three airfields, two sea
terminals, a railway, some 50 vessels and facilities to generate
3,600 megawatts of power.
It said it will continue talks with potential contractors
and suppliers in Europe and in the Middle East.
Vostok Oil, in which global commodities trader Trafigura has
a 10% stake, is one of Russia's biggest oil projects, comparable
in size with the exploration of West Siberia in the 1970s or the
U.S. Bakken oil region over the past decade.
Rosneft has said it seeks to sell stakes in the project to
more partners.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Olesya Astakhova; editing
by Jason Neely)
