Russia is asking customers of the Sakhalin-2 liquefied natural gas plant in the country’s far east to make payments through a Russian bank, as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree to create a new company for the project.

Project operator Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. has informed LNG buyers of required changes to their agreements, such as the name of the entity and its location, as well as a move to a Russian bank, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The terms of the contracts — the currency, volumes, prices and delivery locations — will remain intact, they said.

The red tape of switching could delay vital deliveries of the fuel just as the world is grappling with fuel shortages and soaring energy prices. Changing to a Russian bank may complicate the process as buyers check to make sure they aren’t overstepping any sanctions, the people said.

Gazprombank JSC, the lending arm of Russia’s gas exporter, will be used for transactions with the new company, according to a person familiar with the matter. Gazprombank didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of usual business hours.

Sakhalin Energy and the Russian government didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The move follows Putin’s decree earlier this year that buyers of Russian pipeline gas from so-called unfriendly European countries must pay in rubles through Gazprombank. A number of companies refused and had their taps turned off, escalating an energy crisis European politicians have blamed on Russia’s throttling of gas exports in retaliation to sanctions on its economy.

Russia said last month that it’s transferring rights to the Sakhalin-2 project from Bermuda-registered Sakhalin Energy to a new Russian limited liability company, citing national interests and economic security.

Stakeholders in the Gazprom-led venture — Shell and Japanese trading houses Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co. — have one month from the entity’s establishment to decide if they’ll take a holding in the new company. It’s not clear when it will be set up.

Shell, which holds a 27.5% stake in the facility, announced it would exit the project after Russia invaded Ukraine. In an earnings call Thursday, Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said the energy major is "entirely unlikely” to take a stake in the new Sakhalin entity.

Mitsubishi and Mitsui own a combined 22.5% of Sakhalin-2 while Japan is the biggest buyer of LNG from the plant, which has been operating since 2009.

Japan needs to examine what contracts under the decree would look like, and discuss its response with the Japanese companies involved in the project, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on July 1 after the project’s reshuffle was announced.