KHANTY-MANSIISK, June 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's license agency will make a decision later this week on whether to revoke TNK-BP's license for East Siberia's Kovykta gas field, the natural resources minister said.
"I think the issue will be closed later this week," Yury Trutnev said.
The Kovykta field is operated by Rusia Petroleum, a subsidiary of Russian-British joint oil venture TNK-BP [RTS: TNBP]. The license issuer, the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use, said earlier in June it had postponed for two weeks a decision on revoking the license over the company's underproduction.
In late May, the natural resources ministry started a repeat check into the deposit after Rusia Petroleum failed to correct previous license violations. The ministry said the license is bound to be withdrawn, and that it could be offered for competitive bidding at the government's discretion.
Russian business daily Kommersant quoted industry analysts as saying the fate of the license hinges on negotiations between TNK-BP and energy giant Gazprom, ongoing since last year.
The status of negotiations between TNK-BP and Gazprom is unknown.
