In 1Q 2016, LUKOIL Group total hydrocarbon production (including our share in equity affiliates) increased by 0.5% y-o-y and reached 214.2 mln boe. Crude oil and NGL production was 183 mln bbl (-0.2% y-o-y). On an organic basis (excluding the impact of divestment of certain producing assets in Kazakhstan in 2015), oil production was up by 0.6% y-o-y with production decline at mature fields in Western Siberia more than offset by an increase in production in Iraq and projects in Timan-Pechora, Ural region and Northern Caspian in Russia.

Chinese exports of diesel began to increase rapidly in 2015, driven by a structural shift in China's economy—which is reducing diesel demand—and by reforms in China's refining sector, which are contributing to increased refinery utilization and diesel production. These two factors have pushed Chinese net diesel exports higher, to more than 300,000 barrels per day in April.

Exxon Mobil Corp. may invest more than $10 billion in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale formation in the next decades, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson said Thursday.

The closed transaction is symbolic for both the companies and marks transition to a new level of cooperation in the Russian-Indian relations in sphere of energy. ONGC gets substantial interest and relevant rights in one of the biggest large-scale projects of Rosneft of the last decade, whereas Rosneft retains major shares in the project and will operate on the field through the operator company RN-Vankor.

The parties discussed relevant cooperation issues, placing an emphasis on planned gas supplies to China via the eastern and western routes, as well as the prospects of collaboration in the field of underground gas storage, gas-fired power generation, and natural gas vehicles.

Indonesia's oil and gas company PT Pertamina seeks the possibility to develop oil and gas fields in Iran and import liquefied natural gas (LPG) from the Middle East country.

Russia's Gazprom plans to export a record 165 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to Europe this year, the company's deputy chief executive Alexander Medvedev told reporters on Thursday.

The aggregate net debt of the 15 largest North American and European oil groups rose to $383bn at the end of March, up $97bn from 12 months ago.

Nigeria's crude oil and condensate production has fallen almost 50% from the start of the year to around 1.1 million b/d.

Russia plans to increase oil production to 540 million tonnes (10.8 million bpd) or more this year, from 534 million tonnes in 2015.

The parties discussed the implementation of a joint project, the Amatitlán Block which LUKOIL entered on the terms of a service contract with a 50% interest in July 2015, and the company’s participation in forthcoming bidding rounds. This resolution was positively received by the Government of Mexico.

Pertamina seeks a 51% stake in the venture to build a crude-oil refinery and petrochemical plants in eastern Java, with Russian state-controlled oil major Rosneft taking the remainder, Pertamina executives and Indonesian officials said. The refinery will be capable of processing 320,000 barrels of oil a day, and the complex will require $13 billion to $14 billion in investment, they said.

Oil companies operating in Norway expect to spend 153.2 billion kroner ($18.47 billion) on exploration and production next year, the weakest figure since 2011 and nearly a third below the sector’s all-time high of NOK220.7 billion two years ago. In 2016, they expect to spend NOK165.9 billion on exploration and production, down from NOK195.4 billion a year earlier and 1% below a similar estimate made in February.

"During the first quarter we achieved record operational uptime and we continue to see the benefits of our cost reduction program coming through. Our key priorities for the year are cost reduction, managing newbuild deferments and concluding our financing plans, while ensuring that we continue to maintain safe and efficient operations. I am pleased to say we have made good progress in all three areas during the first quarter."

“But when you sign agreements and create the impression that it’s going to be implemented when no one’s identified the trillions of dollars that it’s going to cost, it’s just not clear that’s going to deliver.”