Chinese energy companies that are in talks with OAO Novatek (NVTK.RS) about a stake in a liquefied natural gas project in the Arctic --Yamal LNG--also want a stake in the Russian gas producer, Gennady Timchenko, a major shareholder in Novatek, was reported as saying Friday.

"There are Chinese firms that want to buy Novatek shares. They are all asking, but we don't have any [shares available]. We would have to sell our own, and we don't want to," Interfax news agency quotes Mr. Timchenko as saying.

Novatek , Russia 's largest non-state gas producer, owns 80% of Yamal LNG in Russia 's Arctic . Total holds the remaining 20%. The project is expected to produce its first gas in 2017, with a peak annual capacity of 16.5 million metric tons.

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