ST. PETERSBURG, June 19. /TASS/. Gazprom and Irkutsk Oil Company are carrying pilot activities for lithium extraction from reservoir water in oilfields, Russian Minister of Natural Resources Alexander Kozlov said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Lithium production from man-made mineral formations has started. Hydromineral feedstock is another promising source of lithium. Such companies as Gazprom and Irkutsk Oil Company are performing pilot activities on lithium extraction from reservoir water in oilfields," the minister said.

Russia has seventeen world-class depositions of lithium, he added.