MOSCOW, September 17 - RAPSI. The court will soon consider a dispute over nickel deposits between two major Russian companies, the Kommersant daily has reported on Monday.

Both Norilsk Nickel and Amur, the Platina subsidiary that won the tender to develop the nickel deposits, filed lawsuits with the Moscow Commercial Court late last week.

Norilsk Nickel seeks to invalidate the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use's (Rosnedra) decisions regarding tenders on license for specific sections of the Norilsk-1 and Oktyabrskoye deposits.

Meanwhile, Amur seeks to recognize as illegal the inaction of state bodies, which have yet to issue a decision regarding the transfer of the licenses to the deposits.

The government has yet to voice a position concerning the matter.

According to the paper, independent experts have supported Platina after being attracted to the debate by Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.

Musa Bazhayev's Platina won the tender in June, which includes a section of one of the Taymyr Peninsula's three largest nickel deposits - Norilsk-1.

The tender regarding Oktyabrskoye deposit was invalidated. The agency said that Norilsk Nickel's sole application does not meet the tender terms.