President Vladimir Putin has signed into law amendments that will allow rivals of state-owned Gazprom to export liquefied natural gas, or LNG, bolstering hopes for Russia to boost its share of the global LNG market.
The changes to rules on gas exports and foreign trade, published by the state's law information site on Monday, will enable Russia's No. 2 gas producer Novatek and top oil firm Rosneft to launch LNG projects.
The measure took effect from Dec. 1 2013, the document said. Gazprom's monopoly on pipeline gas exports, which are currently pumped only to Europe, stays untouched.