Russia gas giant Gazprom is in talks with BP Plc's Russian venture TNK-BP about taking a stake in the huge Kovykta gas field, Gazprom Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday.
When asked by reporters about the possibility of Gazprom taking part in the project, Medvedev said: "I do not exclude that -- why should I exclude that?"
"Before dealing with Gazprom in this situation and ending negotiations which have been taking place in different forms between Gazprom and TNK-BP, a decision must be made on administrative questions which have built up," he said.
"These decisions must be made soon," he said.
President Vladimir Putin said this month that he had run out of patience with BP and its billionaire Russian partners over repeated delays in bringing Kovykta on stream.
Kovykta has hit the headlines after the Russian government accused TNK-BP, the project's operator, of failing to fulfil the licence terms because of under-production and hinted that it might lose the permit altogether.
Kovykta is a 3 trillion cubic metre gas field close to the hungry Chinese market.
(Reuters, 10/06/2007)