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.

Aphrodite low on list of Chevron’s gas plans for East Med - CYPRUS MAIL

March 6, 2023

Dr. Charles Ellinas

The importance of the East Med to Chevron’s gas plans was made clear at the company’s ‘2022 4Q Earnings Conference Call’ on January 27 and subsequently at its ‘Investor Presentation’ on February 28. Mike Wirth, Chevron’s CEO, confirmed that he considers the region to be of “high priority”.

He specifically referred to the $673 million ‘Final Investment Decision’ (FID) taken in December 2022 to expand Tamar gasfield production capacity in Israel from 11billion cubic metres per year (bcm/yr) to 16bcm/yr, expected to come online in early 2025. This will enable Tamar to meet Israel’s growing domestic demand and increase gas deliveries to Egypt.

Following the Tamar FID, Chevron and its partners approved close to $100m budget for the development of Phase 1B of the Leviathan gasfield. This includes pre-FEED engineering for field expansion, including construction of a 4.6million tonnes/yr floating LNG (FLNG) facility, three years after FID. The expansion will increase production capacity to 21bcm/yr from 12bcm/yr now.

Cyprus expects gas field development plan by end of year - ASSOCIATED PRESS

July 21, 2022
MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A plan to develop a sizeable natural gas field off Cyprus that could help the European Union find alternative energy sources to Russia will be ready by the end of the year, the east Mediterranean island nation’s energy minister said Thursday.

Energy Minister Natasa Pilides said another well is expected to be drilled at the Aphrodite field in the next few months and will be used to gather additional information about the deposit’s size and to extract gas at a later stage.

Initially discovered in 2011, the Aphrodite field is estimated to hold up to 4.4 trillion cubic feet of gas. Chevron, along with partners Dutch Shell and Israeli NewMed Energy, now own the drilling rights to the field.

Aphrodite sits close to the massive Leviathan gas field, which is also jointly operated by Chevron and NewMed.

Egypt Snubs LNG, Plans To Send Gas to Lebanon Via the Arab Gas Pipeline - JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY

September 23, 2021

Pat Davis Szymczak

Egypt says it is stopping gas supplies to the Egypt Liquefied Natural Gas (ELNG) export terminal at Idku near Alexandria immediately and that it will supply gas to the Damietta LNG plant only until year end as it prepares to redirect surplus gas exports to Lebanon via the Arab Gas Pipeline.

Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources announced in early September it would deliver Egyptian gas to Lebanon after oil ministers of nations responsible for the Arab Gas Pipeline (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon) met in Amman to agree on a regional response to Lebanon’s ongoing fuel and electricity crisis, local media reported.

The English language news site Egypttoday.com quoted Egyptian Minister Tarek El Molla as saying, “Egypt is working to speed up coordination for delivering Egyptian natural gas to Lebanon through Jordan and Syria.”

Lebanon is in a state of economic collapse that the World Bank has called one of the worst on record, and, because it lacks foreign currency to pay for energy imports, the country was forced to switch off its two main power plants in July for lack of fuel, plunging the country into a near total blackout.

Egyptian Plan to Supply Europe's LNG Gets Boost as Plant Reopens - BLOOMBERG

February 17, 2021, 1:10 PM GMT+2
Salma El Wardany and Anna Shiryaevskaya

• Trader expected to load shipment at Damietta terminal Feb. 21
• Cargo is first since 2012 for Egypt’s second LNG facility

Egypt is close to restarting its second liquefied natural gas plant after an eight-year hiatus, as the North African nation seeks to become one of Europe’s main suppliers of the fuel.

Vitol Group, the world’s largest independent oil trader, is expected to load a cargo at the Damietta port in northern Egypt, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation. It will be the first shipment from the facility since 2012.

Egypt to Reopen LNG Plant In Push to Be Major European Supplier - BLOOMBERG

January 27, 2021, 11:34 AM GMT+2
Salma El Wardany

• LNG capacity will be 12.5 million tons a year, says minister
• Nation looking to become a major supplier of LNG to Europe

Egypt is set to boost exports of liquefied natural gas by restarting one of its two production plants.

The Damietta facility, which has been idled for eight years, will reopen by the end of February, Oil Minister Tarek El-Molla said in an interview Wednesday with Dubai-based consultancy Gulf Intelligence. It will process about 4.5 million tons of LNG a year and raise the nation’s capacity to 12.5 million tons, he said.

The return of Damietta and the country’s other plant -- Idku, whose exports have picked up after dropping last year amid the coronavirus pandemic -- will mark a revival of Egypt’s LNG push.

While the Arab nation is a relative minnow -- accounting for about 1% of global LNG supplies in 2019 -- it will become one of the top 10 exporters if it reaches full capacity, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Cyprus’s one-way road to natural gas - FINANCIAL MIRROR

24 December 2020
Costis Stambolis

As Cyprus has embarked on the road to introducing natural gas to its energy system, following the signing of agreements by DEFA – Cyprus’s gas company – with contractors and suppliers last July, attention is now shifting on the role that gas is expected to play in the island’s economic development. According to the timetable presented by Simeon Kassianidis, DEFA’s chairman, at the 8th Cyprus Energy Forum on December 15, construction and mooring of the €300 million FSRU type LNG terminal to be located in Vasilikos, will be completed by autumn 2022 when first gas deliveries are scheduled.

Gas will then be channeled on a priority basis to the Vasilikos power station complex run by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC).

The thermal power stations run by EAC, which at present use highly polluting fuel oil, will switch to gas, thereby slashing their GHG emissions by at least 50%. Subsequently, the rest of the power stations operating on the island will convert to gas as this is mandatory, according to EU directives, in order to lessen their environmental impact.

Cyprus energy designs unaffected by Turkey's provations, President says - KATHIMERINI / CNA

15 DECEMBER 2020 - 16:25

The Republic of Cyprus has been assured that ExxonMobil, Qatar Petroleum, Total and Eni are planning their drilling activities for the second half of 2021

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said Tuesday that that the Republic, as a sovereign and independent state and despite Turkey’s provocations, threats and illegal activities, is determined to go ahead with the implementation of its energy policy.

He said the government is continuously in touch with all oil and gas companies licensed to operate within its Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ), with all assuring that they remain committed to their contractual obligations and that in this context ExxonMobil, Qatar Petroleum, Total and Eni are planning their drilling activities for the second half of 2021.

President Anastasiades was addressing the 8th Energy Symposium, organised online by the Southeastern Europe Energy Institute and Financial Media Way.

The future of global gas demand - CYPRUS MAIL

September 6, 20202

Charles Ellinas

The future of global gas demand was the subject of the Global Gas Report 2020 (GGR) published last month by the International Gas Union (IGU), in collaboration with Bloomberg NEF (BNEF) and Italian gas company Snam.

In addition to reviewing 2019 performance, the report assesses the effect of Covid-19 on the gas industry in the first half of 2020 and analyses the drivers for recovery in the next few years. It also includes a special section on the role of hydrogen and the gas industry in the low-carbon transition, particularly on market potential and technological options and costs of hydrogen production, storage and transport.

Its main conclusion is that the disruption caused by Covid-19 is on the way to reduce gas consumption and LNG trade by 4% in 2020. This and abundant supply of gas have kept prices at historic lows.

But on the positive side, GGR points out that “abundant supply and continued cost-competitiveness, aided by a push for cleaner air, can lead to a recovery in demand to pre-Covid-19 levels in the next two years, as the global economy regains momentum.”

Delek expects Leviathan expansion investment decision in 2020 - REUTERS

FEBRUARY 3, 2020 / 1:58 PM

Steven Scheer, Ari Rabinovitch

TEL AVIV, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Israel’s Delek Drilling expects a final investment decision this year on expanding exports from the Leviathan gas field using either an LNG facility in Egypt or a floating terminal, its CEO said on Monday.

The offshore Leviathan project came online a month ago and is already supplying Egypt and Jordan with natural gas. The project is led by partners Delek Drilling, a unit of Delek Group , and Texas-based Noble Energy.

Delek Drilling CEO Yossi Abu told a conference of investors that in order to further develop Leviathan, his company was in talks with banks about securing $2.5 billion in long-term funding, either through bank financing or bonds.

Factbox: Egypt's push to be east Mediterranean gas hub - REUTERS

JANUARY 15, 2020 / 3:20 PM / UPDATED 19 HOURS AGO


(Reuters) - Egypt began importing gas from Israel’s largest offshore gas field, Leviathan, on Wednesday, a step Cairo hopes will help it become a regional energy hub.

Rapid growth in Egypt’s natural gas supplies, boosted by the discovery of the Mediterranean’s largest field, turned it from a net importer to exporter in late 2018.
ISRAEL DEAL

Egypt’s Dolphinus Holdings signed deals with partners in Israeli gas fields to buy an estimated $19.5 billion of gas.

Partners in Israeli fields Leviathan and Tamar will supply Egypt with 85.3 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas over 15 years.

Texas-based Noble Energy, Israel’s Delek Drilling and Ratio Oil own Leviathan. Noble, Delek Drilling, Isramco and Tamar Petroleum are leading partners in the Tamar field.

It is unclear how much of the gas imported from Israel will be re-exported.

Gloomy outlook: Aphrodite moves to exploitation - CYPRUS MAIL

Noble’s senior VP K. Elliot (L), Energy Minister G. Lakkotrypis

November 17, 2019
Charles Ellinas

The granting by the government last week of the Aphrodite gas-field Exploitation Licence for 25 years to the Noble Energy, Delek and Shell consortium is a milestone in the development of hydrocarbons discovered in the Cyprus EEZ. Not only it is the first such licence, but it enables the consortium to enter negotiations with Egypt’s Idku LNG plant to secure a gas sales contract for this gas.

Understandably, this generated considerable euphoria even to the extent of talking about the immense profits to Cyprus, estimated to be $9.3billion over the life of such a contract – based on an oil price of $70/barrel.

But let’s try to put this in context. First, the application by the consortium for an Exploitation Licence is a contractual requirement – otherwise it might have to relinquish the gas field. It does not mean that it will immediately proceed with development and production. This requires the successful completion of a number of important steps: Design of all required facilities to get a better handle over costs; Drilling at least one more appraisal well to estimate more accurately Aphrodite’s gas reserves; negotiations with Idku to secure a gas sales contract; Securing the required investment.

Egypt aims to increase oil exports revenues to $8.5bn in FY 2019/20 - MENAFN / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

NOV/17/2019 3:22:31 AM

(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) The Ministry of Petroleum aims to increase the revenues of Egypt's oil exports by the end of the current fiscal year (FY) to $8.5bn compared to $7.7bn FY 2018/19.

Senior government sources told Daily News Egypt that the total quantities targeted for exports of crude oil, gas, petroleum products, and petrochemicals amount to 17.7m tonnes.

They added that the value of exports includes the foreign partner's share of crude oil by calculating the average price of the Gulf of Suez crude oil at $55 per barrel due to the lower prices of crude oil and petroleum products.

The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) has started to increase the amount of natural gas exported through the Idku liquefaction plant to about 1bn cubic feet per day (scf/day) compared to 300m scf/day last month.

Aphrodite feels the love - PETROLEUM ECONOMIST

Nicosia, 12 November 2019

Gerald Butt

Cypriot energy minister Georgios Lakkotrypis issues the country’s first exploitation licence to the Aphrodite consortium to export gas to Egypt

The discussion of exactly where the gas discovered back in 2011 in Cyprus' offshore Block 12, by a consortium including US independent operator Noble Energy, would end up has loomed for almost all the 2010s.

At his Nicosia office, the country's energy minister tells Petroleum Economist Middle East editor Gerald Butt that the question has now finally been resolved.

What is now the way ahead for Aphrodite?

Lakkotrypis: The plan is that we will transport the gas vis a subsea pipeline to Egypt, liquefying it at Idku, from where it will be shipped by Shell [another partner, along with Israel's Delek, in Aphrodite] to international markets, primarily Europe. We have spent the past 12 months or more discussing the details of a revised production sharing contract (PSC) and field development plan. So now we have the exploitation licence. First gas will be in 2025.

Why has it taken so long to get gas out of Aphrodite?

Our View: Gas deal is great news, but we must be realistic - CYPRUS MAIL

November 10, 2019
By CM: Our View

CONTRACTS for the first hydrocarbon exploitation licence were signed on Thursday and were described by energy minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, as “another milestone in Cyprus’ energy programme”. It was the first real milestone of our energy programme because as we have learnt over the last few years, licensing rounds, surveys, exploratory drilling and discoveries of deposits might create big expectations, but until contracts for the exploitation of the findings are signed, their commercial value is theoretical.

This is an illustration of the extremely slow pace at which the oil and gas industry moves. The discovery at the Aphrodite field in block 12 was announced in December 2011, the exploitation licence was finalised in 2019 and production is scheduled to begin in 2025. It will be 14 years after the discovery before revenue will start coming in. Even then, it will be reduced because the bigger share will go towards covering the big investment by the oil companies, estimated to be in the region of €7 billion.

Cyprus signs deal for offshore gas concession - REUTERS

NOVEMBER 7, 2019 / 4:41 PM

ATHENS (Reuters) - Cyprus signed a 25-year concession on Thursday with a three-member consortium for the exploitation of a gas reservoir south-east of the island first discovered in 2011.

The contract with Noble Energy (NBL.N), Shell (RDSa.L) and Delek (DEDRp.TA) is the first commercial exploitation license signed by the Mediterranean island. The Aphrodite field is thought to hold an estimated 4.1 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas.

Cypriot authorities have said natural gas will start being extracted in 2025, with estimated earnings of 9.3 billion euros ($10.29 billion) over an 18-year period.

“The plan includes the implementation of what we consider the best possible option, transferring gas through an subsea pipeline to Idku in Egypt from where LNG will be exported to Europe and international markets,” Cypriot energy minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said in a statement.

In September last year Egypt and Cyprus signed an agreement to build an undersea natural gas pipeline from the Aphrodite field to a liquefaction plant in Egypt.

Egypt exported 172.8 bncf of natgas in FY 2018-2019 via 45 cargos from Idku - ENTERPRISE

Tuesday, 22 October 2019

Egypt exported 45 cargos of natural gas carrying a total of 172.8 bcf from the Idku liquefaction plant in FY2018-2019, according to the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS). 

Egypt had hoped that returning Idku to full capacity would see exports increase to 1.13 bcf/d, but EGAS canceled several LNG tenders from the facility due to low bids and growing domestic demand. 

Idku’s natural gas exports fell by 80% between August and mid-October.

EGAS cancels third consecutive LNG tender - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 29 September 2019

EGAS has canceled an LNG tender for six cargoes from the Idku gas liquefaction plant for loading between 5 October and 1 November, three market sources told Reuters without providing a reason. 

This is the third consecutive tender cancelled by the company. 

The tender canceled last month was due to low bids, sources told the newswire.

EGAS Offers Six LNG Cargoes from Idku Plant - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 22nd September 2019

Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) has offered six Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) loading cargoes from the Idku plant during the period between October to November 2019, Reuters quoted two industry sources saying.

The cargoes are offered on the basis of a Free-On-Board (FOB) for loading between October 5th, 2019 and November 1st, 2019.

EGAS was founded in Egypt in 2001, as an entity mandated to focus on the natural gas activities to organize and handle the activities of the natural gas resources of Egypt to add value to the Egyptian economy.

Egyptian LNG to return to full operation - PETROLEUM ECONOMIST

Houston, 20 September 2019

Peter Ramsay

The 7.2mn t/yr Egyptian LNG (ELNG) facility will return to 100pc of nameplate capacity next month, the firm’s senior optimisation manager Tamer Abdelsalam told the Gastech conference in Houston. It is currently operating at 90pc capacity.

Full output is a far cry from the dark days of mid-2013 to mid-2019, when the volume of feed gas reaching the plant hovered at 13-15pc of design capacity. During that period, ELNG produced just 31mn m³ of LNG and exported 21 cargoes, bring in only $354mn in revenues, says Abdelsalam.

The return of ELNG, located at Idku, to full capacity may not, though, be followed swiftly by a full restart of Egypt’s other export terminal at Damietta. “That is for the government,” says Adelsalam. “They are taking the lead in negotiations around Damietta.”