Shtokman field

The Shtokman field, one of the world's largest natural gas fields, lies in the Russian portion of the Barents Sea, 600 km north of Kola Peninsula. Its reserves are estimated at 3,200 km³. The sea depth in the area averages about 350 m.

Natural gas reserves were discovered in 1988, but the field was not developed owing to extreme arctic conditions and the depth of the sea. As of 2004, talks are progressing about inviting Norwegian companies with experience in arctic offshore oil production (led by Norsk Hydro and Statoil) to partner in development of the field.

Two Russian companies hold licenses to develop Shtokman: Sevmorneftegaz (a subsidiary of Rosneft) and Gazprom.