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Italian Edison Holders To Make New Split-Up Offer To EDF

Italian Edison Holders To Make New Split-Up Offer To EDF

Italian shareholders in utility Edison SpA will make a new offer to Electricite de France SA to split up Edison at a board meeting Wednesday, two Edison shareholders said Wednesday. The proposed agreement would swap investment vehicle Delmi's 30% stake in Edison, Italy's second-largest utility, in exchange for Edipower, a company that owns nine power plants with a 6,000-megawatt generating capacity

Shell: 319 Barrels Of Drilling Fluid Leaked Into Gulf Of Mexico

Shell: 319 Barrels Of Drilling Fluid Leaked Into Gulf Of Mexico

Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Monday it had temporarily abandoned a deepwater well in the Gulf of Mexico after it spilled 319 barrels of fluid used to drill the well. A company spokeswoman said the leak on its Deepwater Nautilus rig occurred Sunday while drilling the well in about 7,200 feet of water southeast of New Orleans. Shell said it has stopped the leak and will temporarily abandon the well while it makes repairs, said spokeswoman Kelly op de Weegh. She did not have an estimate of how long the repairs would take

A2A, Iren Aim To Create Diversified Utility After Exchanging Edison Holdings

A2A, Iren Aim To Create Diversified Utility After Exchanging Edison Holdings

A2A SpA and Iren SpA, Italian utilities and major shareholders of Edison SpA, are willing to give up their holdings in Edison in exchange for all the assets of Edipower, which include hydroelectricity plants and combined cycle gas plants, and even taking on its EUR1.1 billion debt, La Repubblica reported in its Internet edition Tuesday, without citing sources

Gazprom More Than Doubles 2011 Dividends

Gazprom More Than Doubles 2011 Dividends

Russian state-controlled gas producer OAO Gazprom said Tuesday it would more than double dividend payments this year, in a sign that the government is seeking more cash from state companies to fill a budget deficit. Gazprom--the world's biggest producer of natural gas--said its board will recommend a total dividend payout of 198.62 billion rubles ($6.19 billion) or RUB8.39 per share. The company paid RUB91 billion in dividends to shareholders in 2010

U.S. Oil Majors Spending Sparks Concerns About Higher Costs

U.S. Oil Majors' Spending Sparks Concerns About Higher Costs

Major U.S. oil companies are set to spend more than ever next year, as they bolster funding for massive projects world-wide. But the outlays are raising concerns that the multibillion-dollar budgets are being driven by labor, materials and currency costs.

Residents Around Japan Plant Could Start To Return In April

Residents Around Japan Plant Could Start To Return In April

Japan's minister in charge of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster said Monday that under a revised evacuation plan announced over the weekend, some residents may begin to return home in stages as early as next April.

Total Signs Offshore Oil Exploration Deal With Mauritania

Total Signs Offshore Oil Exploration Deal With Mauritania

Mauritania has signed an agreement with French oil group Total SA (TOT) to explore for oil at sea and to extract any oil discovered, the official Mauritanian information agency reported Monday.

North Korea Test-Fires Short-Range Missiles

North Korea Test-Fires Short-Range Missiles

North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles off its east coast on Monday, the same day it announced the death of leader Kim Jong-Il, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

Gulf Leaders Gather For Summit In Saudi Capital

Gulf Leaders Gather For Summit In Saudi Capital

Leaders of wealthy Gulf Arab states Monday gathered in Riyadh for the opening of their annual summit, against a backdrop of regional turmoil and growing fears of Iran.

Serbia to Renew Russian Gas Contract by 10 Years

Serbia to Renew Russian Gas Contract by 10 Years

Serbia may sign a new, 10-year contract with OAO Gazprom for gas imports from Russia in Dec. 22, Politika newspaper reported, citing the chief of Serbia’s national gas company.

Noble Update on Leviathan Disappoints

Noble Update on Leviathan Disappoints

Last week, Noble Energy announced that drilling of the Leviathan 3 well was complete. Today, the US company issued an updated estimate of the reserves in the Leviathan field, of 17 TCF (trillion cubic feet), which compares with a previous estimate of 16 TCF.

Gazprom Agrees To Buy 3 BCM Of Gas From Azerbaijan In 2012

Gazprom Agrees To Buy 3 BCM Of Gas From Azerbaijan In 2012

Russian state gas firm OAO Gazprom will increase imports of natural gas from Azerbaijan to 3 billion cubic meters in 2012, the company said late Thursday. Gazprom imported 800 million cubic meters from Azerbaijan's state energy company Socar in 2010, and had bought 1.36 billion cubic meters between January and November this year, Gazprom said

Oil Majors in Iraq Set Sights High, Add More Muscle

Oil Majors in Iraq Set Sights High, Add More Muscle

Oil companies active in the south of Iraq have beefed up security to deal with fears over the security implications of the U.S. troop withdrawal, but they say the pullout hasn't caused them to change plans to significantly ramp up production. "We have to wait and see.... If the security situation deteriorates that means we will hire more security personnel to protect us," said an executive of one of the oil majors

Fuel Oil Prices Seen Rising In 2012 On Increased Japan Demand

Fuel Oil Prices Seen Rising In 2012 On Increased Japan Demand

European fuel oil prices are expected to strengthen next year from current lows on strong demand from Japan and China for power generation and tighter supplies due to a new tax regime in Russia, according to analysts and traders. Prices in Europe could rise in the coming months to more than the $660 per metric ton level seen in July when power producers were restocking ahead of peak autumn industrial demand, analysts and traders said

Cnooc, Sinopec, Saudi Aramco Vying For Frac Tech Stake

Cnooc, Sinopec, Saudi Aramco Vying For Frac Tech Stake

Two of China's major oil producers are bidding for a stake in a U.S. company that makes and operates equipment used to extract natural gas from shale rock, another step toward China potentially tapping its own huge reserves of a type of gas that has helped the U.S. reduce its dependence on energy imports. According to a person familiar with the situation, Cnooc Ltd. and China Petrochemical Corp., known as Sinopec, as well as state-controlled Saudi Arabian Oil Co. are each in talks to buy a 30% stake in Texas-based Frac Tech Holdings LLC, in a deal that could be worth about $2 billion