Russian environmental authorities are to review the exploitation licenses held by Gazprom Neft, the oil subsidiary of gas producer Gazprom, the Natural Resources Ministry said Wednesday. Gazprom Neft currently has more than 50 oil development licenses, the ministry said in a statement, without specifying how many of them would be inspected.
The country's environmental control service will examine all the necessary documents needed for an overall evaluation of the company's "respect for the requirements of environmental legislation and the conditions of the licensing agreements," it added.
Russian authorities have already undertaken checks on major foreign oil companies such as Shell, ExxonMobil and Total, as well as Russian groups Lukoil and Rosneft.
The companies are accused of having failed to respect environmental norms in their activities.
But some analysts see the initiative as essentially a bid to tighten government control over the energy sector rather than reflecting a genuine concern for the environment.
Source: Agence France-Presse
