The LNG market has grown strongly in the last few years. In 2008 the global export capacity was 270bn m³/yr while in 2016 it was around 400bn m³/yr (+150%). The International Energy Agency in 2011 predicted that by 2015 gobal trade would reach 450bn m³/yr. These higher expectations resulted mainly from the aftermath of the Fukushima accident and Asian growth more generally, notably China.

Baker Hughes Incorporated (NYSE:BHI) announced today that the international rig count for December 2016 was 929, up 4 from the 925 counted in November 2016, and down 166 from the 1,095 counted in December 2015. The international offshore rig count for December 2016 was 210, down 1 from the 211 counted in November 2016, and down 40 from the 250 counted in December 2015.

U.S. Rig Count is up 1 rig from last year's count of 664, with oil rigs up 13, gas rigs down 13, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is up 39 rigs from last year's count of 166, with oil rigs up 10, gas rigs up 28, and miscellaneous rigs up 1.

Russia produced over 650bn m³ of gas in 2016, about 0.6% more than the previous year, the statistics of the Central Dispatching Department of Fuel Energy Complex (CDU TEK) indicate. A Russian cubic metre of gas contains about 10% less energy than a standard cubic metre owing to the higher temperature it is measured at.

U.S. Rig Count is down 40 rigs from last year's count of 698, with oil rigs down 11, gas rigs down 30, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is up 74 rigs from last year's count of 83, with oil rigs up 40, gas rigs up 29, and miscellaneous rigs up 5.

China aims to raise the ratio of non-fossil fuel consumption to 14.3 percent in 2017, while cutting the ratio of coal to 60 percent.

U.S. shale drillers are set to ramp up spending on exploration and production next year as recovering oil prices prompt banks to extend credit lines for the first time in two years.

The company has already made contractual changes that remove restrictions on reselling gas and that require Gazprom to forgo any advantage gained from making gas supplies conditional on acceptance of gas pipelines. These changes came about because of pressure from the commission and increased competition on the European energy market.

"We are also on track to hit this year an absolute record of annual gas exports, both of Soviet times and the history of modern Russia,"

A new deposit in Serbia’s Pannonian oil and gas basin may contain recoverable reserves of 432,000 tonnes, according to Russia's PJSC Gazprom Neft. The Idos-X-4 well was drilled to the Neogene-aged formation at a depth of 2,268-2,287 m in the Idos-Sever (Northern Idos) field.