Vietnam has extended an Indian oil concession in the South China Sea and begun drilling in another area it disputes with China in moves that could heighten tensions over who owns what in the vital maritime region.

According to the Supplementary Agreement, gas supplies to China via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline will commence in December 2019.

Exxon Mobil Corp. and other energy companies have joined President Donald Trump in expressing concerns over a bill to toughen sanctions on Russia, arguing that it could shut down oil and gas projects around the world that involve Russian partners.

Qatar mounted what appeared to be a show of strength on Tuesday, when the state-owned Qatar Petroleum announced plans to raise liquefied natural gas capacity by 30 percent. Its immediate effect will be to worsen a glut on the LNG market where Australia, the United States and Russia vie.

General Electric Co. closed its deal to combine its long-suffering energy business with Baker Hughes Inc. on Monday, creating one of the largest companies in the oil-field services industry.

Spain’s Repsol has agreed to establish a joint venture with Russian oil company Gazprom Neft, in the latest move by a European oil and gas company to deepen co-operation with Russia despite western sanctions targeting the country’s energy sector.

The Indian consortium led by the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is willing to spend as much as $11bn to develop the giant Iranian natural gas field it discovered in 2008.

Russia’s state-controlled oil company is in discussions with Iraqi Kurdistan over helping it develop oilfields in disputed territory at the heart of tensions with Baghdad, in a move that pitches Moscow into one of Iraq’s oldest faultlines.

Rosneft and Beijing Gas Group Company Limited ("Beijing Gas") closed the deal for sale and purchase of 20% shares in Verkhnechonskneftegaz (a Rosneft subsidiary). The price of purchased 20% stake amounted to around USD 1.1bln.

South Korean companies announced plans to import more American shale gas and build new factories in the U.S. as the two countries' leaders prepare to hold summit talks in Washington where trade is expected to be a key issue.

Turkstream has been promoted by Mr Putin as a way to deepenaccess to the Turkish market, which was the second biggest for Russian natural gas last year after Germany, and to support his strategic objective to bypass Ukrainian pipelines.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on Monday cut ties with Qatar, accusing the country of supporting extremism. Qatar denies the allegations.

Qatar and Russia have long been rivals in global gas markets. Qatar's supplies came under the spotlight in the past month after Saudi Arabia cut economic and diplomatic ties, in a move ratcheting up a wider violent and diplomatic conflict in the Middle East.

Creditor banks to India's Essar Oil approved the acquisition of the company by a group including Russia's Rosneft, two sources familiar with the matter said, removing a key hurdle to the $12.9 billion deal that has been in the works for two years.

«Роснефть» намерена развивать сотрудничество с китайскими партнерами в добыче и переработке, транспортировке и хранении энергоресурсов, торговле нефтью и нефтепродуктами, а также в финансовой сфере».