The board of Chesapeake Energy Corp. has established a three-member office of the chairman while continuing its previously announced chief executive officer search process.

Eni SPA and Enel, Italy’s largest electric power company, have signed a letter of intent covering cooperation on electric mobility.

Changing global natural gas markets may compel Russia’s state gas company Gazprom to dramatically change, two Washington observers suggested, but the changes won’t be easy, and will take time, they said during a seminar at the Atlantic Council.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec Corp.) agreed to form a joint venture with parent company China Petrochemical Corp. (Sinopec Group) to be called Sinopec International Petroleum E&P Hongkong Overseas Ltd.

OAO Rosneft has closed a number of transactions to take over TNK-BP, and the closing was announced as BP PLC Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley and Rosneft Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin met with Russian President Vladimir Putin near Moscow.

The US Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments on an environmental assessment of EOG Resources Inc.’s proposed liquids gathering system at the independent producer’s Natural Buttes natural gas leases in eastern Utah.

Sanchez Energy Corp., Houston, will buy South Texas Eagle Ford shale properties and acreage from Hess Corp. for $265 million cash.

Mitsui & Co. Ltd., Tokyo, will acquire Total SA’s Italian subsidiary that holds a 25% participating interest in supergiant Tempa Rossa oil field in southern Italy, the largest proved undeveloped onshore oil field in Western Europe, from which production is projected to start in 2016.

ExxonMobil Corp.’s XTO Energy Inc. subsidiary will buy Woodford shale gas assets in Tishomingo field in south-central Oklahoma from BNK Petroleum Inc., Camarillo, Calif., for $147.5 million.

Eni SPA plans to increase production of crude oil and natural gas by more than 4%/year through 2016 and 3%/year during 2016-22.