San Donato Milanese (Milan), 28 July 2026 - Eni has reached the Final Investment Decision (FID) to develop Cronos project, in deep waters offshore Cyprus, with the target to bring the first Cypriot gas to market in 2028.

The project, operated by Eni, will bring to production the gas volumes from Cronos field, in Block 6, which holds more than 3 Tcf of gas initially in place (GIIP). Production is expected to reach a plateau of 500 mmscf/d; gas will be transported and processed in existing Zohr facilities, in Egypt, then transferred and liquefied in Damietta LNG plant for export as LNG to international markets, primarily Europe.

Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi commented: “Cronos fast-track initiative marks a concrete milestone in positioning Cyprus as a European gas producer and exporter and it unlocks the establishment of a regional gas hub in the Eastern Mediterranean by leveraging Egypt’s existing hydrocarbon infrastructure. It is furthermore an example of international cooperation and a concrete contribution to the diversification and security of Europe’s gas supply”.

‘Goal is to sell first Cyprus gas in 2028’ - CYPRUS MAIL

Tuesday 19 May
Tom Cleaver

Cabinet on Tuesday approved the development and production plan for the Kronos gas field, which is located in Block 6 of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with President Nikos Christodoulides stressing the importance of the plan’s approval ahead of the day’s cabinet meeting.

“Let me remind you that the first discovery in the Republic of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone was in 2011, and 15 years later, we are taking, I believe, the most important decision regarding the state of natural gas exploitation,” he said.

He added that in addition to the development and production plan, cabinet would also approve “the agreements concerning the basic terms of sale of Cypriot natural gas”.

“This is a very important development for the utilisation of our country’s energy resources. The goal is to sell the first Cypriot natural gas to Europe through Egypt in 2028 and we are approving all the relevant agreements,” he said.

Eni confirms the extension and excellent well deliverability of Cronos gas discovery offshore Cyprus - Eni

15 February 2024 - 10:30 AM CET

San Donato Milanese (Milan), 15 February 2024 – Eni announces the successful completion of the Cronos-2 well, drilled to appraise the Cronos discovery in Block 6, offshore Cyprus, in August 2022. The production test allowed for the estimation of a well production capacity in excess of 150 MMSCFD in production configuration and is instrumental in progressing with the studies to select the best fast-track development option.

Cronos-2 was drilled to confirm the lateral extension of the Cronos gas discovery (with Cronos 1 exploration well), located some 3 km away, and to assess the reservoir characteristics by performing a production test. The well has encountered the same carbonate reservoir sequence as Cronos-1, confirming hydraulic communication and connected thick gas column with excellent permeability intervals.

More natgas found as gas flares at Cronos-2 - FINANCIAL MIRROR

19 January 2024

Italian ENI’s exploration in the “Cronos-2” target within Block 6 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) appears to have yielded positive results, as gas flaring reported from the drilling site indicates the discovery of a natural gas reservoir.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, the occurrence of gas flaring is considered a clear indication of the presence of a natural gas deposit. The drilling activities at “Cronos-2” were conducted using the Transocean Barents floating rig, which is under lease by ENI, the operator of Block 6.

The discovery at “Cronos-2” marks the fourth successful find in Block 6, following the identification of “Zeus” with an estimated quantity of 2-3 trillion cubic feet, “Cronos-1” with an estimated quantity of 2.5 trillion cubic feet, and “Calypso.”

ENI characterised “Calypso” as a “promising discovery,” confirming the extension of the “Zohr-like play” within the Cypriot EEZ.

Two-week lifeline as ''Aphrodite'' negotiations extend amid deadlock - KNEWS

06 NOVEMBER 2023 - 08:29

With the deadline for Chevron's proposal on the "Aphrodite" reservoir set to expire on Sunday, November 5, negotiations between the Republic of Cyprus and the consortium of "12" (Chevron, Shell, NewMed) led by the American giant for the development of the reservoir seem to remain in a deadlock. The negotiations, which started last August after Nicosia rejected the development plan for the reservoir, have gone through several phases. However, the main differences persist regarding the Floating Production Unit (FPU) and various other economic aspects compared to the initial development plan submitted by the consortium in 2019, prior to Noble Energy's departure. Unless an unforeseen event occurs, a two-week extension to Chevron is expected to be granted, as the visit of Clay Neff, a high-ranking executive of the American company, to Nicosia, aimed to break the deadlock. Nevertheless, the negotiations and the firm stances of both sides do not bode well for any significant progress, leading to further delays in the Aphrodite project.

Eni puts major new East Med gas project on fast track - UPSTREAM

12 April 2023 10:28 GMT
Iain Esau in London

Eni is set to sanction a major new project offshore Cyprus in 2024 and is studying onshore and offshore liquefied natural gas solutions, according to the company’s head of natural resources.

The Italian major is also exploring the possibility of working with US giant ExxonMobil on a joint development of their Cypriot gas resources, although this appears the least likely option at present.

Eni has found at least 4.5 trillion cubic feet of gas-in-place in Block 6 offshore southern Cyprus in recent years, resources held in the deep-water Calypso, Cronos and Zeus discoveries that were drilled between 2018 and late 2022.

Zeus-1 was completed late last year, hitting 105 metres of net pay in a carbonate reservoir that hosts between 2 Tcf and 3 Tcf of gas in place. This find came after the Cronos-1 probe found 2.5 Tcf of in-place resources last August, while the play-opening discovery was made by the Calypso-1 wildcat in 2018. Speaking to Upstream last week, Guido Brusco, chief operating officer of Eni’s natural resources business, explained the company’s thinking on how best to tap this gas. He said there are “clearly” two options, “either floating LNG or a tie-in to Egypt”, where Eni operates the Damietta LNG plant.

Government optimistic of swift development of natural gas finds in Block 6 - CYPRUS MAIL

January 9, 2023

Elias Hazou

The government anticipates a speedy development of the natural gas finds in Block 6 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Energy Minister Natasa Pilides said on Monday.

She was speaking to reporters coming out of a meeting at the presidential palace between President Nicos Anastasiades and representatives of TotalEnergies, headed by Laurent Vivier, the French multinational’s Senior Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa.

Queried about the discovery of two natural gas reservoirs in Block 6 – licensed to a joint venture of Total and ENI – Pilides said the government was in talks with the companies.

“It is still too early to have a specific plan, but certainly the intensive activity relating to the actions needed to be taken in 2023 will continue, and I think the whole process will move forward quite speedily.”

Eni makes another gas discovery offshore Cyprus - ENI

21 DECEMBER 2022 - 10:00 AM CET

San Donato Milanese (Milan), 21 December 2022 – Eni announces a new gas discovery offshore Cyprus with the well Zeus-1, drilled in Block 6, 162 km off the coastline in 2300 meters of water depth. The Block is operated by Eni Cyprus, holding 50% interest, with TotalEnergies as partner.

Zeus-1 is the third consecutive discovery in Block 6. It follows Cronos-1 and Calypso-1 and confirms the promising outlook for the area and its development. Zeus-1 encountered 105 meters of net gas pay in a carbonate reservoir sequence. The gas in place associated to this reservoir is preliminarily estimated between 2 and 3 TCF.

Zeus-1 well was drilled and successfully tested with the Tungsten Explorer drill ship. Results of the test are being incorporated in the evaluation of the discoveries cluster that will drive subsequent studies and operations targeting a fast-track development of Block 6.

Eni has been present in Cyprus since 2013. The Company operates Blocks 2,3,6,8 and 9, and has participating interests in Blocks 7 and 11 operated by TotalEnergies.

PGS supporting gas exploration offshore Cyprus - OFFSHORE

OCT.20.2022

OSLO, Norway — PGS has unveiled its new Cyprus Vision offering, covering most discoveries and exploration wells to date offshore Cyprus.

The most recent Cronos-1 gas discovery well drilled by Eni and TotalEnergies in Block 6 confirms the prolific presalt Miocene-Cretaceous carbonate play in the area, the company said, following the earlier Calypso and Glaucus finds.

Cronos-1 well encountered various good-quality carbonate reservoir intervals with overall net gas pay of more than 260 m. Early estimates suggest about 2.5 Tcf in place, with significant upside. A further exploration well (Zeus-1) is drilling on the block.

According to PGS, Cyprus Vision benefits from 3D GeoStreamer broadband quality that should provide additional insights and allow analogs to be determined on other blocks in the area.

Eni makes a significant gas discovery offshore Cyprus - ENI

22 AUGUST 2022 - 11:00 AM CEST

San Donato Milanese (Milan), 22 August 2022 – Eni announces a significant gas discovery in the Cronos-1 well drilled in Block 6, 160 km off Cyprus coastline, in 2,287 metres of water depth. The Block is operated by Eni Cyprus holding 50% interest with TotalEnergies as partner.

Preliminary estimates indicate about 2.5 TCF of gas in place, with significant additional upside that will be investigated by a further exploration well in the area.

The well has encountered an important gas column in a carbonate reservoir sequence of fair to excellent properties. The intense data acquisition campaign has shown an overall net pay of more than 260m with intervals owning excellent permeability. Studies on a fast-track development options are already ongoing.

TotalEnergies and ENI make major gas discovery off the shore of Cyprus - REUTERS / UPSTREAM ONLINE

August 22, 202212:08 PM GMT+3

PARIS, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Energy companies TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) and ENI (ENI.MI) said they had made a significant gas discovery at the Cronos-1 well, in Block 6, offshore Cyprus.

Cronos-1 probe in Block 6 has found at least 2.5 Tcf of gas in place, with significantly more potential, according to the operator, as per UpStream Online

Cronos-1 encountered several good quality carbonate reservoir intervals and confirmed overall net gas pay of more than 260 meters, said TotalEnergies in a statement.

"This successful exploration well at Cronos-1 is another illustration of the impact of our Exploration strategy which is focused on discovering resources with low technical cost and low carbon emissions, to contribute to energy security including to provide an additional sources of gas supply to Europe," said Kevin McLachlan, Senior Vice President, Exploration at TotalEnergies.

Eni-Total discovers large gas deposits in block six, reports say (updated) - CYPRUS MAIL

August 5, 2022 

Nick Theodoulou

A large natural gas deposit has been discovered by ENI/Total in block six of Cyprus’ EEZ, daily Alithia and state broadcaster Cybc reported on Friday, but the energy ministry later stated drilling at the block is still in progress.

The initial report added that an official announcement is expected once more work has been carried out, while there are positive indications that there may be more deposits nearby.

Soon after the reports emerged, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides warned that: “Block six is one of the seven locations which Turkey has decided to carry out illegal drillings.”

Kasoulides told radio Trito he hopes the positive developments on new deposits will not be impacted by the Abdulhamid Han, Turkey’s newest drillship.

The minister further stated that there are procedures when new deposits are located namely that the energy ministry is informed first and the company issues its announcement soon after.

Possible Turkish provocations near Cyprus’ gas exploration plot 6 not ruled out - IN-CYPRUS

21 JUNE 2022

Nicosia is not ruling out possible provocations by Turkey near natural gas exploration plot 6 within Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone in the near future, Philenews reported on Tuesday.

This is what President Nicos Anastasiades told National Council members who met on Monday, adding that Turkey is likely to send a fourth survey-conducting vessel in the Mediterranean island’s EEZ, in full violation of international law.

Turkey continues to carry its Eastern Mediterranean provocative operations on sea into the summer, leading to an escalating war of words with both Cyprus and Greece.

Nicosia is certain that the target of the Turkish actions this time will be block 6. However, Turkey’s actions are carried out in such a way that problems do not arise with the countries whose companies are active in Cyprus’ EEZ.

Eni-Total consortium starts exploratory gas drilling off Cyprus - REUTERS

May 23, 2022, 6:09 PM GMT+3

NICOSIA, May 23 (Reuters) - Italy's Eni (ENI.MI) and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) of France began drilling an exploration gas well off the coast of Cyprus on Monday, the island's energy ministry said.

The Tungsten Explorer drillship arrived on location south-west of the island on Monday and started drilling work on the 'Cronos-1' prospect, the ministry said.

Eni Cyprus and TotalEnergies EP Cyprus BV, the local units of the two energy majors, collaborate on the project. Eni is operator of the offshore area known as Block 6, with a 50% participation interest. Total has the remaining 50%.

In February 2018 they reported a gas discovery at the Calypso well, another area of the same block.

Cyprus's offshore exploration programme has faced strong objections from Turkey. The island was divided after a 1974 Turkish invasion, with overlapping claims of jurisdiction extending from land to the sea since.

Reporting by Michele Kambas Editing by David Goodman

Cyprus to export natural gas by 2026, energy minister says - KATHIMERINI

04.05.2022 • 11:52

Cyprus is hoping to begin exporting its natural gas from the Aphrodite gas field by 2026, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Natasa Pilides, has said.

Speaking after a hearing of the parliamentary committee of Commerce, Pilides said there are many options concerning natural gas infrastructures, one of which is a pipeline connecting the Cypriot gas fields with Egypt, either a joint pipeline with Israeli gas fields or separately.

Pilides also said that there were already discussions with companies that own pipelines from various gas fields to the Egyptian natural gas infrastructure and its contractor companies, as they also should be engaged in the talks with a view to developing the infrastructure within the timeframe, that is three to four years.

Cyprus: ExxonMobil to gauge gas field size in 6-8 weeks - MIAMI HERALD, ASSOCIATED PRESS

OCTOBER 14, 2021 3:07 PM

Menelaos Hadjicostis

NICOSIA, CYPRUS Drilling by ExxonMobil set for late next month to confirm how much natural gas is contained in a sizable deposit off Cyprus' southwestern coast will map out how the fuel will reach potential markets in Europe and Asia, the island nation's energy minister said on Wednesday.

Minister Natasa Pilides says the “significant” drilling at the ‘Glaucus-1’ well inside block 10 of Cyprus’ exclusive zone scheduled to start in 6-8 weeks will determine if the deposit is at the higher or lower end of its estimated size of 5-8 trillion cubic feet (142-227 billion cubic meters) of natural gas.

A higher confirmed quantity would naturally mean greater profits and in turn push exploitation of the deposit up the priority list for ExxonMobil and partner Qatar Petroleum among the different projects they’re currently working on.

ExxonMobil plans to start gas drilling by end of year - CYPRUS MAIL

August 16, 2021
George Psyllides

ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum plan on drilling for gas in an offshore block towards the end of the year, Energy Minister Natasa Pilidou has said.

In an interview with daily Politis, the minister said the two companies planned on drilling an appraisal well in block 10 where natural gas was discovered towards the end of November or early December.

“The experts who will take part in the appraisal drill at the Glaucus [Glafcos] well are already in our country and we are in constant contact with the company concerning the procedures that will be followed, both as regards measures against the pandemic, and the plan, the budget, timeframes, etc,” Pilidou said.

ENI will not leave Cyprus while it has a licence says Italian FM - CYPRUS MAIL

May 16, 2020

Peter Michael

Italy assured Cyprus on Saturday that it’s energy giant ENI will not leave the island’s exclusive economic zone as long as it has a licence.

In statements to the press after a foreign affairs committee meeting in parliament, Rome’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said ENI will not abandon the island while its licence is still in date.

Commenting on ENI’s presence in the EEZ, he said: “Right now there are no drilling activities underway due to the pandemic, but we hope they will restart as soon as possible.”

Earlier in the month, energy companies ENI and Total notified the government they are postponing their scheduled gas drilling operations off Cyprus for approximately one year.

The two companies had planned to carry out exploratory drilling at a site dubbed Kronos in block 6 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone.

Coronavirus: Minister confirms long delay in Cyprus’ gas drilling - CYPRUS MAIL

April 13, 2020

Elias Hazou

Exxon Mobil have informed the government they will be delaying a planned drill in their block 10 concession in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with other oil companies expected to do the same due to the ongoing coronavirus situation as well as the sharp drop in energy prices globally.

Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis confirmed that in recent days he was informed in writing by ExxonMobil that they have pushed back to September 2021 an appraisal (or follow-up) well at the site dubbed Glafcos in block 10.

The Glafcos reservoir, bearing an estimated 5 to 8 trillion cubic feet of gas, is the largest gas discovery to date in Cyprus’ EEZ. The appraisal drilling would have helped the company with its commercialisation decision.

The appraisal well there was initially scheduled for this summer.

French, Italian Companies Will Drill for Energy off Cyprus - THE NATIONAL HERALD

February 21, 2020

NICOSIA – Ignoring threats from Turkey, a French-Italian consortium of oil companies Total and ENI said they will begin drilling off Cyprus despite between oil giants Total and ENI will start drilling in Block 6 of Cyprus’ despite an “escalation” in tension, Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said.

That would be done in Block 6 of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ,) parts of which Turkey doesn’t recognize and as it has sent in two ships to also hunt for energy despite denunciation from the legitimate government, a member of the European Union that Turkey has been trying to join for 15 years.

The French and Italian companies said they would start in April although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish warships near the EEZ could use the threat of military force to stop them, as they did earlier when an ENI ship steered away.