Gasprom will delay in the stat of drilling in the new arctic oil field, Prirazlomnoe, to the fall of 2013, a source close to the project said, reports Reuters.
"The Prirazlomnoye platform was expected to begin drilling in March - April. The start of production will now be in September - October 2013. There is no rush to anything ... " said the source, referring to some 'safety factors.'
He did not identify the specific causes that prevented the start of the only large Russian oil project scheduled for this year.
"Work will not start until the company is sure everything is completely safe,"  said the source.
Gazprom's Arctic drilling plans drew criticism from environmentalists and Greenpeace activists. A few weeks ago some activists captured the Prirazlomnaya platform in the Pechora Sea. Six activists from the U.S., Canada, Germany and Finland sailed to the Prirazlomnaya by motorboat and boarded it with climbing equipment . They left the platform after 15 hours it in connection with a threat to safety, and returned to the ship Arctic Sunrise.
It was one of several against attempts by oil companies to begin development of the Arctic.
Afterwards, Greenpeace activists dressed in polar bear costumes, pitched an "Arctic camp" on front of the Moscow office of Gazprom, blocking the entry to the building. They were detained by police.
On July 1, 2012 the Prirazlomnoye oil fields in the Barents Sea were included in a list of fields which qualify for preferential oil expot duty