China National, Reliance Win Australian Offshore Oil Exploration Permits

(Bloomberg) -- China National Offshore Oil Corp.,
Total SA and India's Reliance Industries Ltd. were among
companies that won offshore oil and gas exploration permits in
Australia.

Hess Corp., Santos Ltd. and Woodside Petroleum Ltd. also won
licenses in the bidding round, which will result in an investment
of more than A$800 million ($688 million) on exploration,
Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said today in an e-mailed
statement.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

Crude Oil Falls From 11-Month High as Refiners Open Plants, Boost Output

(Bloomberg) -- Crude oil fell from an 11-month high
in New York on speculation that U.S. fuel stockpiles will
increase because refineries are opening units.

Exxon Mobil Corp., BP Plc and Valero Energy Corp. started
units at refineries in Texas over the past week. Prices rose 2.2
percent this week after the Energy Department reported that U.S.
fuel stockpiles declined last week as gasoline demand increased.
Total SA said it restored normal output from an oil field in
Angola after cutting production to make repairs.


Read more at Bloomberg Commodities News

European Stocks Fall for First Time in Four Days; Total, BHP Pace Declines

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks dropped for the first
time in four days, led by oil companies after ING Groep NV cut its
recommendation on shares of Repsol YPF, Statoil ASA and Total SA.

BHP Billiton Ltd., the world's biggest mining company,
dropped after Deutsche Bank AG downgraded the stock. Tate & Lyle
Plc, the maker of the sweetener Splenda, climbed after Goldman,
Sachs & Co. advised investors to buy the shares.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Total Picked to Develop Gazprom's Shtokman Gas Field, Own 25 Percent Stake

(Bloomberg) -- OAO Gazprom, the world's largest
natural-gas producer, chose Total SA to help develop Shtokman, an
Arctic offshore field that may hold enough natural gas to supply
Europe for more than three years.

Paris-based Total will take 25 percent in an operating
company to develop the project, while the Russian company will
hold the rest, Gazprom Chief Executive Officer Alexei Miller said
in an e-mailed statement. Gazprom scrapped its original plan to
let foreign partners take an equity stake in the project in
October.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

France's Total Restarts Oil Refinery at Port Arthur, Texas, After Flaring

(Bloomberg) -- Total SA, Europe's third-largest oil
company, restarted two units after they lost power at its plant
in Port Arthur, Texas, which lead to flaring and the release of
sulfur dioxide into the air.

The Paris-based company reported the loss of power to two
sour water stripper units, which prompted them to shut down, in a
filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Restarting each unit necessitated emergency flaring, during which
chemicals are burned off into the air.


Read more at Bloomberg Energy News

European Commodity Stocks, Rio Tinto, Total May Advance; RWE May Decline

(Bloomberg) -- European stocks may gain for a third
day, led by mining and energy companies as prices for copper and
aluminum advanced and oil traded near a nine-month high.

Rio Tinto Group, the world's third-largest mining company,
rose in Australian trading. U.S.-traded securities of Total SA,
Europe's largest refiner, ended higher than their close in France.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

French Stocks Decline, Led by Sanofi-Aventis, Veolia Environnement, Total

(Bloomberg) -- French stocks declined, led by
Sanofi-Aventis SA and Veolia Environnement SA.

Total SA fell as the price of crude oil dropped.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News