Russia's Gazprom will soon be able to bid for up to 12.8 Bcm/year of extra capacity in Germany's 36.5 Bcm/year Opal natural gas pipeline after an EU court lifted a temporary ban late Friday.

Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden commented: “Shell’s strong results this quarter show that we are reshaping the company following the integration of BG. Cash generation has been resilient over four consecutive quarters, at an average oil price of just under $50 per barrel. This quarter, we generated robust earnings excluding identified items of $3.6 billion, while over the past 12 months cash flow from operations of $38 billion has covered our cash dividend and reduced gearing to 25%.

“Our solid financial results and strong cash flow are driven by good operational performance with high production efficiency and continued cost improvements. At oil prices around 50 dollars per barrel, we have generated 4 billion dollars in free cash flow, and reduced our net debt ratio by 8.1 percentage points since the start of the year. We expect to deliver around 5% production growth this year, and at the same time realise an additional one billion dollars in efficiencies,” says Eldar Sætre, President and CEO of Statoil ASA.

"In a price environment that remains volatile, Total again delivered an excellent set of quarterly results with adjusted net income of $2.5 billion, a 14% increase compared to a year ago, and operating cash flow before working capital changes of $5.3 billion, a 33% increase, while Brent only increased by 9%. In the first half of the year, the Group generated more than $3.1 billion of cash flow after investments, excluding acquisitions and divestments.

The European Union could do more to convince countries to put EU reform recommendations into practice. For example, targeted support from the EU budget could be provided to incentivize reforms. The EU should also continue pushing for greater integration of the energy, transport, and digital markets.

In the second quarter and first half 2017, our total revenues increased by 1.1% and 6.3%, respectively, compared to the corresponding periods of 2016.

Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) announced income from continuing operations of $28 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2017.

Non-oil growth is projected to pick up to 1.7 percent in 2017, but overall real GDP growth is expected to be close to zero as oil GDP declines in line with Saudi Arabia’s commitments under the OPEC+ agreement.

"I warmly welcome Schlumberger as our majority shareholder. It builds on our strategic alliance with Schlumberger since 2011 and our mutually beneficial business relationship since 2007. The combination of the technology knowhow and operational expertise of Schlumberger coupled to the financial strength of the Investment Funds, brings significant benefits to our customers and the Russian conventional land drilling market."

Schlumberger Announces Second-Quarter 2017 Results - Revenue of $7.5 billion increased 8% sequentially - Pretax operating income of $950 million increased 25% sequentially - GAAP loss per share, including charges of $0.40 per share, was $0.050 - EPS, excluding charges, was $0.35 - Quarterly cash dividend of $0.50 per share was approved

The move fulfills a plan, first outlined in February, to create an Indian oil giant through consolidation and mergers, forming a company comparable with international rivals that could weather crude-price volatility.

ExxonMobil Corp. has decided to walk away from development of the East Natuna natural gas permit in Indonesia saying it no longer wishes to continue discussions or activity in the block.

The U.S. shale boom—which reshaped world markets for crude oil and natural gas before Mr. Trump took office—has only limited impact on Russia’s standing as a major energy provider to Europe and Asia.

Directors underscored that accelerated structural reforms and broader trade relations can help promote a diversified export mix. They also urged the authorities to strengthen property rights, advance privatization, improve governance, and invest in innovation and infrastructure to build the foundations for higher potential growth.

The economy is weathering the post-2014 oil shock well. The key policy goal is to foster economic adjustment to the new oil market realities. To foster the adjustment, especially given downside risks, the momentum in fiscal reforms needs to be sustained and coordinated with structural reforms. To ensure credibility, fiscal adjustment should be accompanied by strengthening the medium-term policy framework and improving transparency. Ongoing initiatives to upgrade the supervisory and regulatory framework for the financial sector are welcome and need to continue. Focused, multi-pronged initiatives to raise productivity and diversify the economy would improve medium-term economic prospects. Amid ongoing economic adjustment, continued improvements in statistics are critical for enhancing policy analysis and decision-making.