Russian natural gas monopoly OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) is interested in buying gas from the Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea, the business daily Vedomosti reported Friday, citing an unnamed source at Gazprom and a member of the project's development consortium.
A spokeswoman for Norway's Statoilhydro (STO), which owns 25.5% of Shah Deniz, said Gazprom is among several European companies seeking to purchase gas from the project's second stage but that it's too early to talk about a decision.
BP PLC (BP.LN) owns 25.5% of Shah Deniz, while Russia's OAO Lukoil Holdings (LKOH.RS) owns 10%. The field holds as much as 619 billion cubic meters of gas and 750 million barrels of condensate.