Energy Blast – July 5, 2012

‘I cannot say that we reached some sort of breakthrough or achieved decisive progress […] But we are not losing heart or thinking that the Istanbul meeting of experts was a failure’ was deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Ryabkov’s somewhat equivocal verdict on nuclear negotiations with Iran.  Rosneft has apparently bought back about 3% of its shares from investors who countered changes to an oil supply deal with China.  Exxon Mobil is, according to Bloomberg, mulling a sale of its German Esso gas station chain, which could be worth up to $1.3 billion.  Five state-controlled Polish companies have agreed to cooperate in an attempt to speed up exploration for shale gas in northern Poland.   The Moscow Times examines Russian levels of energy efficiency.  Following the introduction of import duties on the materials, US based National Oilwell Varco has agreed to construct a plant in Russia to make drilling rigs.  Reuters looks at the number of efforts made by the Baltic states, with help from the European Commission, to reduce dependence on Gazprom.