According to consultants Ernst & Young, the cost of mergers and acquisitions in the gas and oil sector will increase in 2010, as a result of improved lending facilities. The volume of transactions increased by 10% in 2009 and reached a figure of $198 billion, according to the study “Global oil and gas transactions review”. In total, 837 transactions were registered in 2009, as opposed to 1152 registered in 2008. The second half of 2009 witnessed greater activity and saw 485 mergers and...