The Anglo - Dutch oil major, whose acquisition of
BG Group transformed it into the world's top liquefied
natural gas producer, has been under pressure from shareholders to cut annual spending to ensure it can maintain its dividend given the slow recovery in the oil prices.
That played into Exxon's $ 41 billion acquisition of XTO Energy in 2009, which vaulted it to the top of the
natural gas producers table in the U.S., and it also explains Shell's recently closed $ 52 billion acquisition of
BG Group.