On April 17, India's ONGC Videsh Ltd started analyzing the possibility of working on Gazprom Neft's Dolginskoye field, Sergey Matrosov, Head of Offshore Business Development and Government Regulations at Gazprom Neft, told RIA Novosti.

"Gazprom Neft's policy provides for a more proactive exploration of its fields and compliance with its obligations under the license agreements. As for India's ONGC, it started analyzing the possibility of joining the project on Monday, but the process will take time," Matrosov told RIA Novosti at the 71st International Youth Scientific Conference Oil and Gas 2017.

Matrosov said it was unclear when this process would end. He also refuted media reports alleging that the Dolginskoye field and the North-West block in the Pechora Sea would be merged into one project.

Gazprom Neft and ONGC signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the companies' mutual intent to join forces to implement offshore hydrocarbon production projects in Russia and other countries at the fourth international forum, The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue in Arkhangelsk. The memorandum provides for analyzing the possibility of jointly operating the Dolginskoye field.

Director General of Gazpromneft Sakhalin Alexander Korobkov previously said that the Russian company would start exploratory drilling on the Dolginskoye field in 2017, initially without ONGC's assistance.

According to RIA Novosti, the Dolginskoye field was discovered in 1999 in the central part of the Pechora Sea at a depth of between 35 and 55 meters. Since then, 2D and 3D seismic surveys have been conducted at the field. In November 2014, non-commercial gas flow was obtained from an exploration well drilled at the field, which was initially expected to produce only crude oil.