The Commission would assess it "rigorously against the European regulatory framework," it said, and the project would have to comply with environment, competition and public procurement rules.

Referring to the Nord Stream projects I & II, former Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Janusz Steinhoff said: “From the point of view of domestic diversification and policy, these projects are extremely irrational, because these are examples of bypassing various regulations to liberalize the gas markets which are in place in the European Union. In other words, Nord Stream I & II are not subject to regulation that gas pipelines running through the EU are, and this is an evident example of an irrational approach and a lack of solidarity in Europe.”

Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Total SA and BP Plc will retain $8 billion a year in cash by giving investors the option of receiving payouts in shares instead, according to Jean-Pierre Dmirdjian, an analyst at Liberum Capital Ltd. That’s equivalent to about 8.5 percent of total cash and equivalents currently on their books, making the so-called scrip dividend a vital tool as companies curb spending to ride out the slump in oil prices.

Turkey said in February it struck a deal giving it a 10.25 percent price discount on gas from Russia's Gazprom but that accord was not signed and state pipeline operator Botas said last week it had appealed to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) after months of fruitless talks. "An agreement was clinched on the 10.25 percent, therefore we are taking that as our base level, but will seek a higher discount at international arbitration," Alaboyun said in an interview.

Fossil fuels provide more than 80 percent of the energy Americans use every day, according to the Energy Information Administration. The government’s own estimates show that we will need oil and natural gas for decades to come and it’s a critical part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy that makes our country strong.

Torres-Barron noted that gas demand in Mexico “has increased significantly in the last decade and it keeps growing at almost a 4% yearly rate,” which will result in transportation infrastructure being expanded in length by 84%.

Brazil’s largest oil workers union, known as FUP, joined several smaller striking unions on Sunday to protest Petrobras’ plans to sell up to $15.1 billion worth of assets and slash its 2016 budget down to $19 billion, a 30 percent reduction.

Kazakhstan's vast Kashagan oil field, the world's biggest oil find in decades, is expected to restart production at the end of 2016, Exxon Mobil Production Vice President John Chaplin said.

Nigeria's government has approved the payment of 413 billion naira ($2.1 billion) to oil marketers as outstanding payment for fuel subsidy claims, the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said.

Fernando Assing, TESCO's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We continue to be impacted by market conditions that reduced drilling activity and pricing. We are positioning our business under the assumption that the market will be lower for longer. Consistent with our commitment of sustainability through the current market, we implemented additional global restructuring actions in the third quarter with annualized savings of approximately $5 million, bringing our total annualized savings from restructuring to $40 million. These actions are designed to lower our cost structure and better match current market activity. We continue to see opportunities to improve our operating performance and improve cash generation".

По итогам 2014 г. объем национальной добычи нефтяного сырья увеличился по сравнению с 2013 г. на 3,3 млн т (+0,6%) и составил в абсолютном выражении 526,7 млн т, установив новый максимальный уровень после распада СССР.

"If both countries agree on the discount, progress can be achieved on the Turkish Stream Natural Gas Pipeline project, which both countries will benefit from economically"

Internal OPEC squabbles are on the rise as members argue about the need to support a fair oil price and boost revenues just as they feel more pain from low crude prices.

"It is evident that the global oil dynamic has experienced a fundamental shift, driven by the resilience in supply," said CEO Asim Ghosh. "Back in 2010, we made the decision to stay diversified, integrated and begin a transition into a low sustaining capital business. In a lower for longer world, our low sustaining capital projects in the Asia Pacific Region, oil sands, heavy oil thermals and Downstream margin business have become even more strategic.

Sakhalin II is one of the most successful export projects targeting the Asian-Pacific region. The key to success lies in integration: it is managed and operated by Sakhalin Energy Company and its shareholders: Gazprom (50% and 1 share), Shell (27.5% minus 1 share), Mitsui (12.5%), Mitsubishi (10%).