Total wins Putin support for Qatar in Russian LNG

Oil major Total on Friday won Moscow's support to bring Qatar into gas projects on Russia's Yamal while pledging to tolerate no more delays with the launch of the giant Shtokman field, despite weak gas demand.

"I told (Russian Prime Minister Vladimir) Putin the Qatar government wants to be partner with Novatek in Yamal LNG projects," Total's Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie told Reuters after a meeting with Putin.

"Putin is totally in favour of it. He said on commercial terms it is up to Novatek but as a company, as a partner I support you," he said.

Kremlin's approval is key to any energy deal in Russia.

Last year, Total won Moscow's approval to sign a deal to partner Russia's top independent gas producer Novatek to invest $1 billion in the Termokarstovoye gas condensate field in the far northern region of Yamal-Nenets.

Total is also talking to Russia's gas export monopoly Gazprom on participating in liquefied natural gas projects on Yamal in addition to their partnership on Shtokman in Russia's Arctic Barents Sea.

"You have possibilities to expand your activities in Russia," Putin told de Margerie.

Gazprom, the world's largest gas reserves holder and a supplier of a quarter of Europe's gas, has been looking itself to expand cooperation with Qatar, the world's No. 3 gas reserves holder and a major producer of liquefied natural gas.

Gazprom says cooperation would allow it to expand further into LNG. Some analysts have said the move could also allow major producers to cooperate more closely on prices to emulate the role of OPEC in the oil market.

De Margerie did not specify whether he was proposing bringing Qatar into Termokarstovoye or some other projects.

"Today we participate in the bid as Total. The bidding has been done, we await the results to see if we are qualified," he said. "There are other projects which we are considering with Novatek."

Termokarstovoye in the far northern region of Yamal-Nenets has reserves of 47.3 billion cubic metres -- enough to meet France's gas consumption for a year - and 10.3 million tonnes of liquids.

That is dwarfed by Shtokman, which has over 3.7 trillion bcm of gas in reserves. The field is controlled by Gazprom while Total has 25 percent and Norway's Statoil 24 percent.

"We need to stick to the agreed timetable. We should not delay anymore," de Margerie told Putin.

The consortium, which plans to invest $15 billion in the first phase of Shtokman, delayed the project by three years with pipeline gas expected to flow in 2016 and LNG in 2017.

"It is possible we will need help from you (Putin) and (Deputy Prime Minister Igor) Sechin to put pressure on other participants of the project," said de Margerie, without saying if he meant Gazprom or Statoil.

"I think Shtokman and projects with Novatek complement each other. There are some people trying to prove that one cannot participate in both. I do not share this opinion. This is why we decided to take part in tenders organised by Novatek," he added.