Exxon-Rosneft Deal Causes Alarm in Warsaw
The Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW), asks the leadership of the country to pay close attention to the strategic partnership of ExxonMobil and Rosneft, writes the Polish daily, citing an anonymous source at the ABW.
The Agency reportedly warned decision makers, that the Russo-American agreement could allow Russia to gain access to Polish shale gas.
According to the Puls Biznesu, which quotes an anonymous source at the Agency, three classified reports on shale gas were sent to the most important politicians in Poland last year.
ABW reportedly warns, that owing to the strategic alliance with the ExxonMobil the Russian state-controlled oil company, Rosneft can take control over some shale gas reserves in Poland.
Whole wide world for Arctic riches
The agreement between ExxonMobil and Rosneft involves the exchange of American technologies and international projects for Russian huge Arctic resources.
Announced last summer, the multi-billion dollar deal was signed earlier this month in the Russian Prime Minister’s residence in the presence of Vladimir Putin and his deputy Igor Sechin.
It includes joint exploration of offshore oil blocks in the Russian Kara Sea and Black Sea and taking equity in Exxon projects in Texas, Canada and Gulf of Mexico by Rosneft. It also paves the way to the joint establishment of a research center in St. Petersburg.
Both parties underline the significance of their international cooperation.
According to the “Transcrpit of the beginning of the meeting” in Sochi, published by the Russian government webpage www.government.ru, Vladimir Putin said he believed, that the agreement would allow Rosneft “to participate in a number of joint projects in the territory of third countries.”
Rex Tillerson, the chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, answering, spoke of the “significant expansion of (…) joint activities both in Russia, and as you noted importantly, in international opportunities as well.”.
Hopes for energy independence
In the recently published annual unclassified report, the ABW noted, that shale gas exploration has been one of the main points of its counterintelligence activities in 2011. Commenting on the report the head of the Agency Krzysztof Bondaryk specifically pointed to Russian and Belarusian intelligence services.
Some legal experts in Poland take note, that however transfer of a hydrocarbon license is highly restricted, selling shares in companies holding a license is not.
ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Poland Sp. z o.o. has six exploration licenses in the country. In February the firm announced, that its first two wells were not commercially viable.