TOKYO (Sputnik) — The construction may reportedly receive a final approval in 2017 while the platform's operations may start as early as 2022.
"[The Sakhalin II] has been one of our most successful projects in the last 10-15 years… If there's enough demand in Japan, we will make the expansion of this business a top priority, creating a pillar for future cooperation between Russia and Japan," Medvedev was quoted as saying by the Japanese Nikkei Asian Review newspaper.
The Sakhalin II project is the first and currently the only LNG plant in Russia. Sakhalin Energy is the operator of the project. Gazprom owns about 50 percent of the Sakhalin II shares, while Anglo-Dutch Shell owns over 27 percent. The Japanese companies Mitsui and Mitsubishi own 12.5 percent and 10 percent of the shares, respectively.
