Russia will continue to provide competitive natural gas deliveries to Europe until mid-2020 and there is a limited possibility that other sources including LNG supplies, will offset Russian imports significantly, participants at the Flame conference in Amsterdam said Tuesday.

Russia is pushing ahead with plans to build a pipeline to Turkey and further on to Greecevia the Black Sea, in line with its plans to stop exporting gas via Ukraine by 2019.

Lukoil will likely pull out from Saudi Arabia where the economics of its search for gas have been crushed by the collapse of the oil price, three industry sources said.

On March 16, the presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia travelled to Kars in Turkey’s mountainous northeast, and then to a remote worksite near the border with Georgia, to launch construction of the 1,850km Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (Tanap).

Rapid and aggressive strategic response by oil and gas companies to low oil prices has driven industry cash flow breakevens down by $20/bbl to $72/bbl, according to a recent analysis of Wood Mackenzie. If oil prices remain at current levels, further cuts would be required to achieve cash flow neutrality, WoodMac said. For some companies, this will mean selling assets, others may suspend or limit dividend and buyback programs.

Advances in technology, standards and practices in the last five years have made America’s offshore #oil and natural #gas industry safer than ever, #API President and CEO Jack Gerard told reporters on a press conference call today.

As most drilling companies that have rigs without a contract, today, are idling or cold-stacking these rigs, it is estimated that around 140 rigs are heading toward retirement over the next few years as the industry makes way for the newbuilds scheduled for delivery by the end of the decade. Around 360 rigs that are in the current market fleet are more than 30 years old and must be retired at some point.

Unconventional natural gas production is proving to be more durable than many people expected, officials said as the Potential Gas Committee released its 2014 yearend report indicating that the US has a record 2,515 tcf technically recoverable gas resource base.

ConocoPhillips is preparing the sale of noncore oil and gas producing acreage in the United States, in the latest sign that oil majors are becoming more accepting of lower oil prices, according to people familiar with the matter.

UK Oil and Gas Investments (UK) boosted its oil in place estimate Thursday for the onshore UK Horse Hill field up to 100 billion barrels.