Reuters: Russia's Rosneft seeks Azeri gas field stake - sources

Russian oil major Rosneft is seeking a stake in Azerbaijan's Absheron gas project, sources close to the talks said, in the latest move that may help it become a competitor of Russia's gas exporter Gazprom.

Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin discussed a possible role in Absheron with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev during a visit to Baku this month and has also been in discussions with the project's leader, France's Total, the sources said.

Azeri state oil company SOCAR and the French oil company each hold 40 percent of the project to develop Absheron, a shallow-water offshore field on the Caspian Sea, under production-sharing agreements. The remainder is held by GDF Suez .

Exploratory drilling by Total showed the field contained 150 billion to 300 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas resources. The find was declared commercial in 2012.  MORE