Reuters: Ukraine drops deadline for signing Chevron shale gas deal

Ukraine has removed a self-imposed May 2013 deadline on signing a shale gas deal with energy major Chevron which faces scrutiny in local councils dominated by opposition groups, a government document showed on Tuesday.

The former Soviet republic is seeking to ease its dependence on costly natural gas supplies from Russia and signed a landmark production sharing agreement with Shell this month that could bring in $10 billion in investment.

But the move on Tuesday indicated that the government had no quick plan to overcome domestic opposition to the second large shale gas deal and its approval could be delayed significantly, casting doubt on the whole project.  MORE