NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy companies from 25 countries have been selected as Finalists for the Platts Global Energy Awards. The 2016 Finalists, chosen from over 170 nominees from 30 nominating countries, were announced today by program host S&P Global Platts, the leading global provider of energy and commodities information and spot market benchmarks.

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Established in 1999 and often described as "the Oscars of the energy industry," the Platts Global Energy Awards highlight corporate and individual innovation, leadership and superior performance in 18 categories that span the entire energy complex.

"It's clear from this year's entries, that despite the low-price energy environment and challenging times, a number of companies are indeed finding the necessary investment capital to seal deals and 'innovate' their way forward rather than just tread water," said Murray Fisher, Platts senior manager of Strategic Media and head of the Platts Global Energy Awards program.

For a second time in its 18-year history, the Platts Global Energy Awards program is specifically showcasing performance from private equity, hedge funds and other investment groups and the vital role they are playing amid the energy industry's consolidation and low oil price environment.

Deal of the Year, is hotly contested this year, as is the Grid Edge Award and Rising Star-Company.

While the U.S. has made the strongest showing for any single country in this year's Platts Global Energy Awards nominations and Finalists, some 50% of the 2016 Finalists hail from outside the United States. Other notable showings came from India and the United Kingdom. As in 2015, the mix of nominations and Finalists not only reflect a wide but changing geographic footprint, but also reflect several changes to long-standing Awards categories and the recent addition of new categories.

The program's independent panel of judges will select winners for each Award category from its corresponding group of Finalists. The Energy Company of the Year will be chosen from the entire list of finalists, regardless of original category. Winners will be announced at the 2016 Platts Global Energy Awards black-tie dinner on December 8th in New York City. For a seventh consecutive year, the gala will be emceed by a CNBC host; this year by news reporter Jackie DeAngelis.

Preceding the Awards dinner will be the 10th annual Platts Global Energy Outlook Forum, an exclusive gathering of senior executives exploring the increasingly crucial interface of energy, policy and finance.

To view the full list of Awards categories and list of Finalists for the 2016 Platts Global Energy Awards visit: http://geaweb.platts.com/Finalists/Finalists2016.

For more information on the Awards, visit the website (http://geaweb.platts.com).

Energy, financial and business executives may attend the Platts Global Energy Awards by registering at this link: http://bit.ly/2016GEARegistration. Accredited media may attend as guests of S&P Global Platts with advance registration to Platts Communications.

Sponsorship opportunities are available through Robert.Botelho@spglobal.com at + 720-264-6618.

Contact
Americas: Kathleen Tanzy, + 1 917 331 4607, kathleen.tanzy@spglobal.com

About S&P Global Platts
At S&P Global Platts, we provide the insights; you make better informed trading and business decisions with confidence. We're the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets. Customers in over 150 countries look to our expertise in news, pricing and analytics to deliver greater transparency and efficiency to markets. S&P Global Platts coverage includes oil and gas, power, petrochemicals, metals, agriculture and shipping.

S&P Global Platts is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for companies, governments and individuals to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit http://spglobal.com/platts.

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SOURCE S&P Global Platts

SOURCE: S&P Global Platts