Gazprom intends to increase by 50% its stake in the gas market in the U.S.

/IRBIS, February 18, 2011/ - Mr. John Hattenberger, president of the American "daughter" of Gazprom "Gazprom Marketing & Trading", said the intention of the Russian holding a 50% increase in its stake in the gas market in the U.S., according to RIA Novosti today. As indicated in the second half of 2010, Gazprom sold in the United States about 600 million cubic meters of gas. In the future, the holding plans to increase this figure to more than 900 million cubic meters. Stated that at the same time, deputy head of Gazprom Mr. Alexander Medvedev said on Thursday in New York after an investor conference that "he sees no threat" from the projects to develop shale gas in North America. Gazprom is considered the North American markets as the most promising for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) before the newly started "boom" of the production of shale gas led to a decline in gas prices in the U.S. However, in the coming years, according to Mr. Medvedev, the export of LNG to North America will once again be profitable, according to RIA Novosti. The deputy head of Gazprom, said that some international companies have formed joint ventures with U.S. companies "to explore technology revolution, shale gas," probably overpaid and the lesson cost them dearly, "adding that the engineers of the holding had" technical know-how in the development of oil shale deposits, and without such partnerships. Mr. Medvedev has said that interest in shale gas could be "bubble" that burst like a bubble in the market of American high technology in the early 2000's. [2011-02-18]