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India's ONGC plans rouble payment for Sakhalin 1 stake

Indian oil business ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) remains in talks with the Russian federal government to pay its contribution to the Sakhalin1 abandonment fund in roubles, a business official said on Monday.

The contribution is a requirement for OVL to take a 20%. stake in the job, which is run by a brand-new Russian entity.

We are at an advance stage of attempting to pursue Rosneft. to accept the desertion obligation of OVL for. returning its 20% share (in the Sakhalin 1 job), Vinod. Hallan, a finance executive at OVL, informed an experts' call.

An abandonment fund is used for decommissioning activities. to guarantee that wells are appropriately shut in which the process. would not affect the environment in future.

OVL, the overseas financial investment arm of India's top explorer Oil. and Natural Gas Corp, and other state-run Indian. business have not been able to repatriate their dividends for. stakes in producing Russian energy properties due to sanctions.

The overall pending dividends of Indian companies quantity. to around $500-$ 600 million.

OVL is taking a look at using the pending dividend to spend for its. share in the abandonment fund in roubles, Hallan stated on ONGC's. post-earnings require experts.

Our application with Russian authorities is expected to be. heard soon and we wish to close the transaction of meeting. the abandonment obligation, he said.

A raft of Western sanctions have actually made it challenging to. transfer funds to Russia in dollars and payment in roubles. need approval from the Russian authorities.

Last April ONGC returned its $600 million contribution made. to the previous desertion fund for Sakhalin 1 from the foreign. celebration administrator after ExxonMobil's exit from the. task, ONGC stated in May in 2015.

The Russian federal government has actually agreed to grant OVL a 20% stake. in the brand-new job operator Sakhalin-1 LLC offered it makes the. contribution to the brand-new collected fund.

(source: Reuters)