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ST PETERSBURG, Russia, June 18 (Reuters) - Russian gasproducer Gazprom and Royal Dutch Shell have signed an agreementto expand the Sakhalin-2 LNG project, Gazprom said in astatement on Thursday.
The Sakhalin-2 project, Russia's sole LNG plant, has acurrent annual capacity of around 10 million tonnes. The thirdline would add another 5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gasa year.
Officials from both companies signed the agreement at aneconomic forum in Russia's second city of St Petersburg onThursday, but gave no specific timing.
Gazprom Deputy Chief Executive Alexander Medvedev toldreporters this week he hoped to give answers on the projectexpansion, including on timing, in 2016.
Gazprom said on Thursday the Sakhalin-2 project envisagedgetting gas supplies for the expansion from the Sakhalin-3project.
Gazprom and Shell also signed an agreement on strategiccooperation which assumes a partnership in the gas sector fromupstream - exploration and production - to sales, includingpossible asset swaps. (Reporting by Denis Pinchuk and Vladimir Soldatkin; writing byKatya Golubkova, editing by Elizabeth Piper and Susan Thomas)