Rosprirodnadzor views revocation of LUKoil licenses at 11 Komi sites
Russia's environmental protection agency is considering the revocation of a number of licenses for the survey and production of hydrocarbons of the country's largest crude producer LUKoil at 11 oil extraction sites in the Komi Republic in the northwest Urals, the Natural Resources Ministry said Friday, according to RIA Novosti.
A special commission led by Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Natural Resources, arrived in the region Thursday to conduct an investigation at LUKoil's production sites.
The inspection team discovered that the company did not comply with oil production licensing agreements and requirements for developing oil extraction sites. The environmental watchdog has already demanded that LUKoil deal with uncovered violations, and has set a deadline beyond which the licenses will be revoked, the ministry said in a statement.
LUKoil said last year it completed its mid-term environmental program in the Komi Republic for the ecological rehabilitation of polluted areas and the prevention of oil spills, after allocating 4.6 billion rubles ($160 million) in 2000-2005 for the project.
