LNG is expected to surpass iron ore as the second most valuable physical commodity after oil this year, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs, who predict it will top $120bn.

Norway's previously long-standing cordial relations with Russia have deteriorated to the point that there is a real chance that simmering feelings could escalate, leading to a breakdown of cooperation in the oil and gas sector, writes Platts.

Discoveries of natural gas offshore Israel signalled the eastern Mediterranean as a new frontier for the development of natural gas resources. The gas discoveries provide a unique opportunity for Israel to change its mentality vis-à-vis neighbouring countries and view the resources as a tool for strengthening regional cooperation and solidarity through energy diplomacy. While security concerns in Israel remain paramount, diplomacy in the context of the eastern Mediterranean transcends traditional foreign and security policy considerations, and attempts to use economic and commercial means to interlink the countries of the region through energy relations.

Venezuela and Russia's top oil producer, Rosneft, have agreed on around $14 billion in investment in the South American OPEC country's oil and gas sector, President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday evening.

The UK's new Conservative government is planning an energy bill to set up the new Oil and Gas Authority with the powers it needs to become a "robust, independent and effective regulator"

The Italian energy company Eni has discovered a gas and condensate deposit in the rich Bouri Field off the coast of Libya, the second such discovery of 2015. Both discoveries come as the North African country is engaged in a protracted civil war.

Turkmenistan is systematically increasing the volumes of contracts for the gas supply to China. And taking into account the growing demand for gas in China, the gas supplies from Turkmenistan to China will continue to grow.

OAO Rosneft may have to turn to competitors to buy natural gas and state aid to help honor a $50 billion contract it won away from OAO Novatek three years ago, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

Millions of barrels of untapped oil that U.S. shale drillers discovered during the boom years are about to disappear from their inventories.

To ensure one of the most valuable parts of the gas sector is protected, assigning responsibility and ensuring a fair price for gas storage operators may prove essential to the continent’s security of supply.