KIEV, Aug. 31 - Ukraine, which is thought to contain some of Europe’s largest deposits of shale gas, will award its first shale gas contract to oil major Shell on Thursday, a senior official said Wednesday.

Shell is expected to invest about $800 million in exploration and production of shale gas in Ukraine, Serhiy Liovochkin, the chief of staff at President Viktor Yanukovych’s administration, said.

“It is expected that $200 million will be invested in exploration and about $600 million in extraction of gas,” Liovochkin said. “It will be shale gas.”