LNG

The German oil and gas company Wintershall DEA said it had secured interests in nine new exploration licenses in Norwegian waters, including three as operator, as Germany continues to have only modest LNG import ambitions and aims to boost its pipeline volumes in the long term.

German chemicals and energy group BASF and LetterOne, the investment vehicle of Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman and chaired by former BP Chief Executive Lord Browne, signed a definitive transaction agreement to merge their respective German-based oil and gas businesses, BASF’s Wintershall and Fridman’s Deutsche Erdoel AG (DEA).