MOSCOW, April 13 (Reuters) – Russia is considering cutting payments to the operators of the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 offshore oil and gas production sharing projects after independent auditors reviewed the costs of the work.
Russia’s energy ministry said in a report on the projects’ results for 2006 that independent auditors recommended cutting reimbursable expenses to Sakhalin-1 operator ExxonMobil
The 76-page report, obtained by Reuters, also said that reimbursable expenses of Sakhalin Energy, the operator of the Sakhalin-2 project, should be lowered by 7.2 percent, or $362.5 million, for 2004.
Royal Dutch Shell-led
Under the production sharing agreements’ (PSA) terms, Russia only gets royalties after reimbursing operators’ capital investments.
The ministry said ExxonMobil had disagreed with the auditors’ conclusion.
“The (Sakhalin-1) project operator did not agree with the results of the auditors’ check and sent us its objections. Auditors decided to stick to their opinion after they examined the objections,” the report said.
The ministry said its officials would meet the project operators and the auditors in the near future to discuss the auditors’ conclusions and to take a final decision.
An ExxonMobil spokesman in Sakhalin told Reuters by phone that his company was considering the information in the report and had yet to formulate its position.
A Sakhalin Energy spokesman declined to comment.
The companies are developing big oil and gas projects off Russia’s remote Pacific island of Sakhalin.
ExxonMobil’s Sakhalin-1 partners are Russian state-controlled oil firm Rosneft
Sakhalin-2 is being developed by Gazprom, Shell and Japanese companies Mitsui <8031.T> and Mitsubishi <8058.T>.
Last year, Shell ceded control in Sakhalin-2 to Gazprom after doubling the project’s estimated costs to $22 billion.
The auditors for Sakhalin-1 were BKR Interkom-Audit and for Sakhalin-2 were Top-Audit, both private Russian companies.
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Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
