Russia’s mineral resources watchdog Rosprirodnadzor said on Tuesday, April 10, that it will resume the probes into development of oil fields in East Siberia in May-June 2007 and will revoke licenses from operators who fail to comply with license agreements.

“We will conduct new checks on 23 sites and revoke licenses if the companies have failed to do anything,” Vladimir Smolin said, quoted by RIA Novosti. He added that so far violations had been found at 23 out of 52 sites in East Siberia.

“Results of the checks on 23 sites have been submitted to the Federal Agency for the Management of Mineral Resources, and companies have been notified,” he said, adding that the bankrupt oil company Yukos was a major violator.

“Yukos is a leading violator, and it operates about 70 percent of proven reserves in East Siberia,” he said.

Natural Resources Minister Yuri Trutnev said on Tuesday that new owners of Yukos assets, who bought them at state-run auctions, would not have their licenses withdrawn after the auction. “I don’t think the new operator will have the licenses revoked,” he said, adding that all companies would be treated equally.

Yukos’ East Siberian assets will be auctioned May 3. Once Russia’s largest oil company, Yukos was declared bankrupt August 1, 2006, after three years of litigation with tax authorities over tax arrears.

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