YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, September 22. /ITAR-TASS/. More than 550 oil and gas industry executives have gathered for the four-day 18th annual Sakhalin Oil & Gas Conference that opened in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, in Russia’s Far East, on Monday, regional authorities have said.

“Over 550 people from more than 10 countries of the world are participating. These are the representatives of major companies, involved in commercial development or geological exploration of deposits,” a spokesman for the regional ministry of natural resources and environmental protection said.

At the forum, the participants are expected to discuss the Sakhalin-1-5 and other projects in the Pacific region, including in the Sea of Okhotsk, as well as plans to develop the Chayanda field and build liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants.

During the first day of the conference, the participants are due to attend technological seminars focusing on geological exploration, drilling, field infrastructure development and LNG technologies. On the second day of the conference, the sides will share news on the Sakhalin projects.

In particular, the discussion will focus on a project for constructing the Dalnevostochny-LNG project in the Russian Far East and prospects for building a third leg of an LNG plant as part of the Sakhalin 2 project. The experts will also exchange views on the legislation, taxation and investment climate. On the forum’s fourth day, the sides will debate the latest results of the geological exploration in Russia’s Far East.