ROSNEFT & GAZPROM REPRESENTED RUSSIA

Integrated oil and gas (IOG) companies Gazprom and Rosneft Oil Companyrepresented Russia in the top 10 positions of the 2014Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings®, unveiled Tuesday at the ninth annual Platts Top 250 Asia Awards Dinner in Singapore. The Rankings, now in its 13th year, the Ranking reflects the financial performance of publicly traded energy companies with assets greater than U.S. $5 billion and based on a combination of assets, revenues, profits and return on invested capital (ROIC) for fiscal 2013.

Top 10 Energy Companies Globally

Collectively, the world's 10 biggest energy companies generated profits of $193 billion on revenues of $2.83 trillion in 2013. But for a second year in a row, the profitability of the world's biggest energy players took a hit with combined earnings down 8.5% year over year. At the same time, total revenues rose 6% on the year.

Exxon Mobil Corporation retained pole position in the Platts Top 250 for the tenth year running. But back this year at second place in the top 10 was BP p.l.c., recovering from the financial pain of its payouts over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. This year was Statoil ASA's turn to fall out of the top 10. The Norwegian oil company, also Europe's second-biggest gas supplier, sank from 5th to 16th place after its earnings suffered on the back of asset sales and weaker gas prices. With the top 10 exit of LUKOIL Oil Company and Statoil, China's two biggest state integrated oil giants PetroChina Company Limited and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation each moved up a position and into the leaderboard.

Russian Companies in Top 250 Rankings

"There were 11 Russian companies in the 2014 Platts roster, down three from the previous year," said Robert Perkins, Platts EMEA oil news senior writer and co-author with Henry Edwardes-Evans, Platts Power in Europe associate editorial director. "Besides integrated oil and gas, Russia was represented in the sectors of electric utilities, oil and gas exploration and production, and oil and gas storage and transportation. The combined placement of Russian energy companies in the 2014 Top 250 strengthened to an average placement of 65th versus the 2013 roster average of 81st.

Following the U.S. $55 billion purchase of TNK-BP, Rosneft gained three positions year over year to sixth place on the 2014 roster. Although the deal put Rosneft ahead of ExxonMobil in terms of oil production and reserves, Rosneft still ranks below the U.S. oil giant in Platts Top 250 Rankings due to lower revenues, profits, assets and ROIC.

Gazprom retained its number four position in the 2014 Top 250, boasting $33 billion in profits in FY 2013, making it the most profitable energy company worldwide. Conversely, Russia's largest independent oil company LUKOIL , previously in 7th place, slipped out of the leaderboard to 11th place due to multi-billion dollar write-offs at major projects.

With an average 27% three-year compound growth rate, four Russian companies made it into the Platts Top 50 Fasting Growing companies: Rosneft, Novatek, Bashneft and Transneft, the latter of which also snagged the title of the world's leading storage and transportation company.

Novatek snared first place among the EMEA region's 10 fastest growing energy companies this year. In general, 4 out of 6 leading positions for EMEA's fastest growing companies were filled by Russia.

oilandgaseurasia.com