-- Region's IOGs Remain Resilient but Refiners, Utilities Suffered in Challenging Economic Environment

LONDON, Oct. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Europe's integrated oil & gas (IOG) companies again claimed leaderboard positions in the Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings® , comprising half of the top 10 positions and nearly half of the lead 50.

The Rankings, in their 13(th) year and unveiled Tuesday night at the ninth annual Platts Top 250 Asia Awards Dinner in Singapore, reflect the financial performance of publicly traded energy companies with assets greater than U.S. $5 billion and based on a combination of assets, revenues, profits and return on invested capital (ROIC) for the prior fiscal year (2013).

"While the composition of companies within the Platts Top 250 roster has evolved since its launch, European oil and gas majors continue to enjoy a strong role in the global energy markets, underpinned by Russia's key position as regional energy supplier," said Robert Perkins, Platts Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) oil news senior writer and co-author with Henry Edwardes-Evans, Platts Power in Europe associate editorial director, of a special analysis of the Top 250 Rankings (http://top250.platts.com/Highlights).

2014 Platts Top 10 Energy Companies in EMEA

Leading the EMEA companies in the Platts Top 250 roster was UK-based BP p.l.c., which bounced back into the top 10 at second place after recovering from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Russia's Gazprom and Rosneft also represented the region well, snagging fourth and sixth places, respectively. Though Anglo-Dutch major Royal Dutch Shell plc and France's Total S.A. both dropped two places from year-ago rankings, Shell retained its top five position in the global ranking, at fifth place, and took third position in the regional EMEA roster, while Total held only to the top 10 at eighth place, having last been in the lead five in 2011.

    2014 Platts Top 10 in EMEA     Company Name          2014 Platts Global
                                                         Top 250 Rank
    --------------------------     ------------          ------------------

                                 1 BP p.l.c.                               2
                               --- ---------                             ---

                                 2 Gazprom                                 4
                               --- -------                               ---

                                 3 Royal Dutch Shell plc                   5
                               --- ---------------------                 ---

                                 4 Rosneft Oil Co                          6
                               --- --------------                        ---

                                 5 Total SA                                8
                               --- --------                              ---

                                 6 LUKOIL Oil Co                          11
                               --- -------------                         ---

                                 7 Statoil ASA                            16
                               --- -----------                           ---

                                 8 Eni SpA                                17
                               --- -------                               ---

                                 9 Surgutneftegas                         18
                               --- --------------                        ---

                                10 AK Transneft                           29
                               --- ------------                          ---

Slipping out of the top 10 in the latest rankings are Russia's LUKOIL at 11(th) place - having held the seventh position in 2013 - and Norway's Statoil ASA at rung 16, down from fifth place a year ago.

European Refiners, Utilities Lose Footing Due to Challenging Operating Environment

Despite the dominance of European IOGs in the leaderboard positions, EMEA energy companies fielded 65 positions on the overall Top 250 roster, five fewer than in 2013.

"Many of Europe's refiners struggled to remain in profit as a capacity glut overshadowed plant closures," said Edwardes-Evans. "Meanwhile, the region's electric and natural gas utilities faced similar strong headwinds due to significant overcapacity in generation."

All but six of the 15 companies that lost more than 50 positions on a year-over-year basis were based in Europe. However, EMEA had three companies among the 19 that rose more than 50 places and one that entered the ranks for the first time.

Measured by a three-year compound growth rate (CGR), six EMEA companies ranked within the 50 fastest growers globally, a loss of six from the 11 in last year's ranking. In terms of the EMEA region alone, of the 10 fastest growing companies, four were from Russia, though UK, Austria, Turkey, Poland, Finland and South Africa were also represented.

For full details on the 2014 Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings and the associated lists by region, industry sector, biggest movers, fastest growers and more, visit the Top 250 website or the view the media kit.

This year's Platts Top 250 Asia CEO of the Year title was bestowed to Mr. Fu Chengyu, chairman of ninth-ranked China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec). Mr. Fu Chengyu was selected from seven other finalists by an independent panel of judges.

Prior to the announcement of the 2014 Rankings, Mr. Masakazu Toyoda, chairman and CEO of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), gave the keynote address on Asia Pacific's energy future. Calling the 21(st) century the "century of Asia" and the "era of Asia's development," Mr. Toyoda outlined key challenges Asian energy companies must overcome to meet energy needs with a view to energy security, economic efficiency, environment and safety.

The Platts Top 250 Asia Awards dinner was emceed by Channel NewsAsia anchor and reporter Annalisa Burgos and was attended by more than 300 energy industry executives.

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SOURCE: Platts