Integrated oil and gas Rosneft Oil Company again represented Russia in the top 10 positions of the 2015 Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings®, unveiled Tuesday at the tenth annual Platts Top 250 Asia Awards Dinner in Singapore. Now in its 14th year, the Ranking reflects the financial performance of publicly traded energy companies with assets greater than U.S. $5 billion and based on a combination of asset worth, revenues, profits and return on invested capital (ROIC) for fiscal 2014.

Top 10 Energy Companies Globally

Collectively, the world's 10 biggest energy companies posted combined earnings of $119.8 billion on revenues of $1.87 trillion in 2014. "The revenue and earnings of the world's 10 biggest energy players showed a significant slide of more than a third from the year-before totals," said Robert Perkins, Platts 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 Rankings (http://top250.platts.com/Highlights).

For the 11th consecutive year, Exxon Mobil Corporation retained its pole position in the Platts Top 250, joined by Chevron and Shell near the top. After being back for one year in the top 10, BP p.l.c. dropped from the 2nd last year to the 29th position in this year's Top 250. It was accompanied by Gazprom, the Russian state gas supplier, which placed 4th overall last year with the world's biggest energy profits. The gas giant dove nearly 40 places, hit harder than its Russian counterparts after the ruble's collapse triggered significant foreign exchange losses and affected debt repayments and credit extension. Other Russian energy companies to see their U.S. dollar profits being dragged down by the ruble's rout were JSC Novatek, Oil Transporting JSC Transneft, OJSC LUKOIL Oil Co, and OAO Tatneft.

"For many in the energy industry, 2014 will be remembered as a pivotal year marked by an abrupt upending of $100 oil and further seismic shifts in world energy production and consumption," said Perkins. "By year-end, oil prices had dropped by over 40% to trade below $60 per barrel (/b) before hitting a temporary low of $45/b in early 2015. The supply glut that caused the price fall, and remains with us, was caused by buoyant shale oil, slowing demand growth and a radical new policy tack by OPEC producers."

Further, Perkins noted, "Integrated oil majors make up only half the leaderboard this year, with the sector's weaker placings overall making way for two U.S.-based refiners Valero and Phillips 66, and China's largest coal miner for the first time".

Russian Companies in Top 250 Rankings

Once again Russian Rosneft made it into the global Top 10 of energy companies dropping, however, four positions down the list compared with the last year's ranking. It is now one of the top 5 global integrated oil and gas companies, along with Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina.