The parties addressed further steps in the bilateral strategic partnership in the gas industry, particularly Russian gas exports to China. Among other issues discussed were prospects for cooperation in the field of underground gas storage and power generation in China.

In 2015 Gazprom increased gas exports to the region by 8% compared with 159.4bn m³ in 2014. The latest official statistics also indicate that Gazprom's gas exports experienced significant growth in the first four months of 2016.

The Calgary-based pipeline operator filed papers late Friday seeking arbitration under the North American Free Trade Agreement, arguing that TransCanada had every reason to believe it would win approval to build Keystone XL.

It is absolutely compatible with the Energy Union. It will be sustainable, affordable and help security of supply, he said. It will increase liquidity in Europe but nobody will be forced to buy the gas, which will be priced against hubs.

"The Kingdom's oil policies are rooted in responsibility, and Saudi Arabia is seeking to maintain that balance while also giving heed to moderate prices for producers and consumers,"

“The decline in prices is unlikely to lead to a significant reduction in production from existing producers because the high fixed costs of building the infrastructure have been paid and marginal production costs are relatively low,” said Ms Heath.

The Ugandan and Tanzanian governments are trying to fast-track a $4 billion oil pipeline that would connect landlocked Uganda to foreign markets even though construction won’t start in August as they originally indicated.

Gazprom's Deputy Chief Executive Alexander Medvedev said the BG holdings could be included in an asset swap deal between Gazprom and Shell that was announced last year. He did not say what the BG holdings were or where they were located.

The parties addressed the Russian-Slovak cooperation in the gas sector, discussing, inter alia, the collaboration between Gazprom and Slovak companies in gas supply and its transit via the Republic.

“Now is our chance, and we have a window of three or four years to act,” before the balance of supply and demand might change, said Ken Koyama, a managing director and senior economist at Japan’s Institute of Energy Economics, which advises the Japanese government on energy policy.

Shipping 110bn m³/yr would cost Gazprom a quarter of the amount it would spend if it used Nord Stream, while booking capacity for 70bn m³/yr would still cost it only a third as much.

Gazprom's accumulated after-tax dividends will total USD 6.9 billion by 2045. Over the next 25 years, gas deliveries via Nord Stream 2 would be 2–2.7 times more economically efficient than the ones via Ukraine's GTS, which translates into USD 45–78 billion.

What determines dependence on Russian gas is what buyers buy, and the market decides that. Gas follows the price.

For us it is a principal issue. Gazprom has launched a programme to optimise expenses in the central corridor which now has free capacities which also cost us money. We will hence liquidate 4,300 km of pipes and close 62 compressor stations.

Among the major shareholders of Yamal LNG are local gas producer Novatek (50.1%), Total (20%) and CNPC (20%). The Silk Road Fund has become the second Chinese strategic investor in the project, after China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) provided $5 B of investment for Yamal LNG. Under the terms of the agreement, the Silk Road Fund will provide approximately $800 MM for the implementation of the project over the next several years.