Gazprom visits Alaska to discuss gas cooperation
MOSCOW, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) said on Tuesday its top executives had visited U.S. state Alaska, where the gas company is seeking a share in a project to pipe gas via Canada to the United States market.
The world's largest gas producer discussed gas production, transport and supply to Alaska -- which shares a border to its east with Canada and a sea border with Russia to its west -- with the region's officials and the CEO of ConocoPhillips (COP.N), Jim Mulva, Gazprom said in a statement.
"Gazprom has accumulated great experience in exploring hydrocarbon deposits, building and using gas pipelines in the Far North environment. Gazprom's experience will be relevant in realisation of similar projects in Alaska," it said in the statement, without specifying what projects were discussed.
Gazprom's Chief Executive Alexei Miller, who headed the delegation, said in June his firm wanted to join a gas pipeline project to pump the fuel from Alaska across Canada to the U.S. market and had made a proposal to oil majors BP (BP.L) and ConocoPhillips.
Gazprom, which already supplies a quarter of Europe's gas, has been actively eyeing a way into the north American market for several years.
Earlier this week a French stakeholder in Canada's Rabaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal said Gazprom could get a 27 percent stake in the project.
The terminal is due to be built by 2014, when Gazprom plans to launch its giant LNG project, Shtokman, on the Barents Sea. (Reporting by Amie Ferris-Rotman and Tanya Mosolova, editing by Anthony Barker)
