#3 - RW 266
pravda.ru
July 24, 2003
USA Interested in Russian Oil and Port of Murmansk
The USA welcomes the decision of the Russian government to increase the oil export to America

Several American companies want to invest construction of an oil pipeline going from Western Siberia to the Russian city of Murmansk. This was reported by Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Energy Kyle McSlarrow at a press-conference in Murmansk on Tuesday.

The American official said that if the Russian government welcomed participation of US companies in realization of the project and the investment terms were agreeable, "Russia would see that several American companies wish to invest the project."

Russia's Deputy Minister for Energy Oleg Gordeyev said in his turn that US investment might be attracted for realization of the project. It is a good issue for negotiations. At the same time, the Russian official emphasized that "there is enough Russian capital to realize projects of this kind".

The main purpose of the visit paid by a US business delegation to the Russian city of Murmansk was to see the resources of the sea port of Murmansk that may be used for trans-shipment of oil. The delegation also discussed prospects of creation of reliable transport systems for energy resources transportation with the Russian side.

Kyle McSlarrow says that the USA welcomes the decision of the Russian government to increase the oil export to the USA. The sea port of Murmansk is very convenient from this respect as it never freezes, has an outlet to the World Ocean and has natural bays that allow receiving tankers with the deadweight of 300,000 tons and over.

Over 2 million tons of Russian oil has been already sent to Western Europe through the port of Murmansk this year; by the end of the year the showing is to double. According to Oleg Gordeyev, in fact the port of Murmansk can transship up to 50-60 million tons of oil for export in a year.

No exact figures connected with the increase of oil export to the USA were mentioned at the meeting with the American delegation in Murmansk. The RF deputy minister for energy said that the volume of exported oil would be determined by the total oil production in Russia and by the demand for oil on the markets receiving Russian oil.

Further details of the Russian-American cooperation in investment of this one and other energy projects will be considered at the 2nd Russian-American energy summit in St.Petersburg that is scheduled for September 22-23.

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