Dana Gas says it will retain natural gas exploration concessions in Egypt's Nile Delta region after revealing a 20 per cent increase in production in 2010.

A US$12.5 billion agreement between Iraq, Royal Dutch Shell and Mitsubishi Corp. for the capture of flared-off natural gas in Iraq's oil fields in the south will hopefully be signed in January 2011.

Abu Dhabi Gas Industries (Gasco), which is a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (Adnoc), awarded two contracts valued at US$1.2 billion to the Italian unit of French oilfield firm Technip and Dodsal India.

Algeria's liquefied natural gas (LNG) output has fallen to about half of the country's installed capacity after sweeping leadership changes at the state petroleum company Sonatrach brought on by a government corruption investigation.

Egypt has recorded 61 per cent of the oil finds of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) member states in the period from 2005 to 2009, Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmi said recently.