Energy Blast, Dec. 24, 2007

Gazprom Neft Finance, a subsidiary of the energy giant Gazprom, has asked permission from the Federal Antitrust Service (FAS) to buy a 50% stake in Tomskneft from Rosneft. Libya‘s leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi has met with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Tripoli to discuss bilateral relations and international issues, including a joint nuclear energy programme.

World EnergyThe Iraqi government’s anger over development projects between Kurdistan and Korea may lead it to suspend crude oil exports to South Korea.”We have agreed with everyone but Exxon,” said the Kazakh energy minister after Kazakhstan and a consortium of oil majors led by Eni set a new deadline for talks on the Kashagan oilfield.Chevron Corp hopes to expand its over $10 billion “Gorgon” liquefied natural gas project in Australia.EDF and E.ON are among several energy groups that are understood to be considering price rises of up to 10% for 2008.Indian state-run explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp will spend $696 million in upgrading pipelines and in capex for offshore fields over the next three years.