15 OCT 2015
Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis has dismissed media claims in Israel which say that a disagreement between Israel and Cyprus over development in the Aphrodite gas reservoir is delaying the signing of a unitisation agreement between the neighbours.
According to Wednesday’s reports in the Israeli business site Globes, the signing of the agreement – which aims to lay out the principles for the development of oil and natural gas reservoirs shared by the two countries and other cooperative energy efforts – is being held up because the Israelis are demanding a active role in the approval of development of the Aphrodite reservoir, which it says is partly in its waters.
The Cypriot government is said to be open to the idea to discuss the matter but the Israeli demands is delaying the signing of an agreement.
But reports in Phileleftheros on Thursday morning countered those claims with Lakkotrypis saying that there are no disagreements.
He went on to say that he spoke to the Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz only two weeks ago to discuss that issue and that the two had agreed to speak again very soon. A meeting in Nicosia to discuss Block 12 has also been arranged for November.
The same sources of ‘Globes’ added that Steinitz – whose invite to Cyprus is to discuss the promotion of joint projects for building a shared pipeline for exporting natural gas to Europe and laying an electrical cable between Israel and Cyprus – will delay his trip until negotiations on the agreement, which have been taking place for over five years, are completed.
Are there cracks in Israel-Cyprus relations?
‘Globes’ outlines the disagreement between the two sides and even features quotes from Government Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides.
The Cypriot reservoir, which was discovered in Bloc 12 in the Cyprus’ Exclusive Econonomic Zone (EEZ), also reaches over into the area of the Yishai license in the Israeli EEZ.
While Cypriot sources argue that only 3% of the reservoir is involved, sources close to the Yishai license holders say that the percentage is higher, and that the tests have not yet been completed.
“Citing any number before the tests are completed and all the findings obtained is irresponsible,” they say.
Noble Energy, which discovered the gas reservoirs in Israel, also discovered the Cypriot reservoir in a drilling conducted in late 2011. Nobel Energy’s initial estimate was that the reservoir contained 5-8 trillion cubic feet (TCF).
Following verification drilling, the results of which were published in October 2013, however, the quantity was revised to 3.6 TCF (for the sake of comparison, the Tamar reservoir contains 10 TCF and the Leviathan reservoir 20 TCF).
“We’re asking for what we’re entitled to, according to accepted practice,” he said. Christodoulides told “Globes,” “The Cypriot government is willing to discuss with Israel cooperation in the development of the Aphrodite reservoir, and wants to finish the talks about the unitisation agreement as soon as possible.”
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