Overall, the big picture looks bright, but it should keep in mind that holding a drilling and exploration license in a particular geography does not automatically spell big bucks for an energy company.

FORBES: Chevron Digs Deeper Into Eastern Europe For Shale Gas

The disruption affected supplies to Europe during a bitter cold spell, prompting fears of a continentwide energy crisis.

NPR: Tensions Rise in U.S.-Russia Relationship

Now it looks as if he is more interested in avoiding hard questions about Dick Cheney's spell as head of Halliburton or his own ties to dubious energy chiefs.

ECONOMIST: George Bush's Clintonian drift into crisis-management

Exxon Mobil's spell at the top of the rankings illustrated the importance of energy resources at a time when rising demand from Asia caused the oil price to rise more than fivefold over the past decade.

ECONOMIST: The Apple effect