Licenses to Be Revoked From Ineffective Users of East Siberia Subsoil Resources – Minister

MOSCOW. May 15 (Interfax) – Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev has warned that licenses will be revoked from users of subsoil resources in Eastern Siberia who fail to meet the timeframe for putting the fields into operation.

The minister issued the warning at a meeting in Moscow on Tuesday which addressed the preparation of a raw materials base to be pumped into the East Siberia – Pacific Ocean oil pipeline.

“This is our position: licenses will be revoked if their terms are not met, and they will handed over to more effective users of subsoil resources. We shall rigorously pursue this policy,” he said.

Trutnev also said that the schedule of geological prospecting funded from the federal budget is being observed. “Work is continuing as planned, expanding this year compared with 2006. But geological prospecting financed by users of subsoil resources is a lot more problematic,” he said.

Not all users of subsoil resources manage to cope with the license terms and not all of them have started developing areas in Eastern Siberia allotted to them, the minister said.

“We would like to hear why licenses are not being observed in Eastern Siberia and what should be done to synchronize the development of Eastern Siberia and the construction of infrastructure,” Trutnev said.

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