Russia's antimonopoly service is proposing allowing independent gas producers to export natural gas, a step that would end the monopoly currently enjoyed by state-controlled OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS), the Vedomosti daily reported Tuesday, citing a departmental head within the service.
Under a draft law on gas exports, which will be submitted to the lower house of parliament in May, independent gas producers could get access to Gazprom's pipelines, the official said.
If passed, gas exports by independent producers like OAO Novatek (NVTK.RS) could reach 11% of Russia's total export volumes, Vedomosti said.