http://en.rian.ru/business/20071214/92463241.html *Gazprom in talks with S. Korea's Kogas on gas supplies*
MOSCOW, December 14 (RIA Novosti) - Gazprom and South Korea's gas corporation Kogas are discussing possible options for Russian natural gas deliveries to the East Asian country, a Russian official said on Friday. Konstantin Pulikovsky, head of Russian industrial safety regulator Rostekhnadzor, and also co-chairman of a Russian-South Korean intergovernmental commission, said Kogas was "responding with understanding to Russia's plans to create a unified gas supply system in the East." Possible options include the shipment of condensed or liquefied gas or the building an overland gas pipeline across North Korea. He also said Russia and South Korea were discussing the joint exploration and development of oil deposits on the Sea of Okhotsk shelf. "We are interested in mutually beneficial energy dialogue in the implementation of fuel and energy projects in Russia," he said. Pulikovsky said Russian-South Korean trade in 2007 could reach $12 billion, adding that it had tripled from $2.8 billion to $9.3 billion between 2001 and 2006. Gazprom has previously said that Russia would be able to start supplying up to 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year to South Korea from 2012-13. South Korea relies almost entirely on importers for its liquefied natural gas needs. It has a well-developed gas transportation network, linking coastal liquefied natural gas terminals to key consumption centers across the country. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
