* U.S. FTC regulalator give first clearance to deal
* Approvals required from other key countries (Adds details, quotes, background)
By Ron Bousso
LONDON, June 16 (Reuters) - U.S. regulators have given thegreen light for Royal Dutch Shell's proposed $70billion acquisition of British rival BG Group, the firstclearance for the biggest deal in the energy sector in over adecade.
The two companies said on Tuesday the United States FederalTrade Commission (FTC) had cleared the deal.
The deal, which the companies aim to complete by early 2016,will require further regulatory clearances from all thecountries BG operates in, including the European Union, China,Australia and Brazil.
"We're well underway with the anti-trust and regulatoryfiling processes in relevant jurisdictions around the world andwe're confident that, following the usual thorough andprofessional review by the relevant authorities, the deal willreceive the necessary approvals," Shell Chief Executive OfficerBen van Beurden said in a statement.
"We remain on track for completion in early 2016," he added.
Van Beurden has visited in recent weeks Trinidad, Brazil,Kazakhstan and China to discuss the deal.
The deal, which followed the near halving of oil pricessince last June, was expected to spark a flurry of mergers andacquisitions in the energy industry, but so far few deals havebeen announced.
The third-biggest oil and gas deal ever by enterprise valuewill bring Shell assets in Brazil, East Africa, Australia,Kazakhstan and Egypt. BG has some of the world's most ambitiousprojects in liquefied natural gas (LNG), where demand is growingas consumers turn away from more polluting fuels such as coal. (Reporting by Ron Bousso; editing by Susan Thomas and LouiseHeavens)
