Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) said the U.S. government is giving the company more time to shut its Russian Arctic well beyond the deadline for sanctions aimed at halting the $700 million project. Exxon asked Washington for an extension to allow it to continue performing shut-down work on the Universitetskaya-1 (University-1) well in Russia ’s Kara Sea to make sure the well was safe before it’s temporarily abandoned. The Irving, Texas-based company already had ceased drilling the offshore well after U.S. sanctions set a Sept. 26 deadline for ending the work. “The U.S. Treasury Department, recognizing the complexity of the University-1 well and the sensitive Kara Sea arctic environment, has granted a license to Exxon Mobil and other U.S. contractors and persons involved to enable the safe and responsible winding down of operations related to this exploration well,” Exxon said in a statement today. The most-recent round of sanctions intended […]