Greece's DEPA clinches $175-million deal with Shell on domestic gas supplier - INDIA TIMES / REUTERS

July 13, 2018, 15:43 IST

Athens: Greece's state-controlled DEPA gas company will buy out Shell's 49 per cent stake in a domestic gas supplier, Attiki Gas Supply Company, and a gas distributor in Athens and become the sole stakeholder in the two companies, it said on Friday.

The deal between DEPA and Shell, which was signed on Friday, is worth 150 million euros ($174.45 million) and is part of a scheme under Greece's latest international bailout which says that Athens needs to eliminate potential conflicts of interest between DEPA and domestic gas suppliers.

DEPA is 65 per cent owned by the state.

Elections in Turkey and Gas Discoveries in Egypt Bode Ill for Israel’s Natural-Gas Industry - MOSAIC

JULY 13 2018

While the dictates of economics, geography, and technology suggest that Turkey would be the best possible market for the natural gas beneath Israel’s coastal waters, politics dictate otherwise. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, recently reelected to the Turkish presidency, has been hostile to the Jewish state since first coming to power, and is unlikely to be eager to set up a gas pipeline between the two countries. But, write Oded Eran and Elai Rettig, further gas extraction is only worthwhile if the gas can be exported, and it is now unclear whether Egypt, the only viable alternative to Turkey, will be any more receptive:

Oil Ministry signs three new oil and gas exploration agreements in Gulf of Suez and North Sinai - ENTERPRISE

Thursday, 12 July 2018

Oil Ministry inks three new agreements for oil and gas exploration in North Sinai and the Gulf of Suez. The first agreement, between GHP Exploration Corp. and the South Valley Petroleum Holding Company, will see the company drill four new wells at a cost of about USD 6 mn at the West Gabal El Zeit concession in the Gulf of Suez, according to a ministry statement. The second agreement was signed between the EGPC and UK’s Perenco for exploration in the North Sinai offshore concession, while the third was with the EGPC for exploration in the Gulf of Suez’ Ras Fanar concession. The Oil Ministry is currently finalizing procedures for 18 other agreements that will be announced soon, according to Minister Tarek El Molla. The government had announced plans to step up exploration activities in FY2018-19 as the country marches toward natural gas self-sufficiency and bids to become a regional energy export hub.

Turkey Faces Ticking Time Bomb With Energy Loans of $51 Billion - BLOOMBERG

July 11, 2018, 7:00 AM GMT+3
Ercan Ersoy and Asli Kandemir

• Some power producers earn less than they owe in debt charges
• Lira’s plunge against dollar has driven up foreign-loan costs

Confronted with a plunging lira, Turkey’s central bank last month urged the general public to borrow in the currency in which they are paid. That warning came too late for the country’s energy companies.

Turkish power producers are emerging as one of the biggest risks to the nation’s banks after they plowed billions of dollars into new power generation, distribution projects and deals over the past 15 years. Now, with the lira depreciating faster than they can raise electricity prices, some utilities earn less per year than what they have to repay in foreign-currency loans, according to the Ankara-based Electricity Producers’ Association.

Their predicament highlights the far-reaching impact of the lira’s 68 percent slump against the dollar since the beginning of 2010 as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan moves his country toward authoritarianism. His grip on the country culminated this week with his swearing in for a five-year term as president with enhanced powers and the appointment of his son-in-law to oversee economic policy.

Libya oil chief warns output to drop every day as ports halted - WORLD OIL

JULY/9/2018
SALMA EL WARDANY

CAIRO (Bloomberg) -- Libya’s oil output will keep dropping day by day if major ports remain closed after clashes last month led to a political deadlock, the head of the country’s state energy producer said.

“Today, production is 527,000 bpd, tomorrow it will be lower, and after tomorrow it will be even lower and everyday it will keep falling,” Mustafa Sanalla, chairman of the Tripoli-based National Oil, said in a video statement posted on the company’s Facebook page. The nation was producing more than twice that amount before fighting in February forced an oil field in western Libya to shut down, he said.

Sanalla urged Khalifa Haftar, an army commander in the politically divided nation’s east, to transfer control of the closed oil ports to the NOC in Tripoli.

Eni announces second oil discovery in Egypt's Faghur basin - WORLD OIL

JULY/9/2018

MILAN -- Eni announces a second light oil discovery on the B1-X exploration prospect located in South West Meleiha license, in the Egyptian Western Desert, some 130 km North of the oasis of Siwa.

The well is the second one drilled by Eni to explore the deep geological sequences of the Faghur basin. SWM B1-X has been drilled 7 km away from the first discovery (SWM A2-X), to a TD of 4,523 m and encountered 35 m net of light oil in the Paleozoic sandstones of Dessouky formation of Carboniferous age and in the Alam El Bueib sandstones of Cretaceous Age.

The well has been opened to production in the Dessouky sandstones and delivered 5,130 bopd of light oil (37° API) with low associated gas.

Energean seen exporting Israeli gas to Cyprus - GLOBES

9 Jul, 2018 17:39
Sonia Gorodeisky

The company is waiting for approval for a pipeline to take gas to Cyprus from the Karish and Tanin gas reservoirs.

The Reuters news agency reported last week said that another export channel for Israeli natural gas was likely to be opened soon. Greek company Energean, which owns the Karish and Tanin gas reservoirs, is waiting for the go-ahead from Cyprus to build a gas pipeline from its floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) platform to Cyprus. The quantity to be supplied is fairly small - 0.5-1 BCM per year, less than what Israel is exporting to Jordan. If the deal goes through, however, it will be very important for the Israeli gas sector because it will open up another potential market.

Reuters said that the company was now waiting for official approval to build the pipeline. Energean CEO Mathios Rigas told Reuters, "We submitted a proposal to sell gas from the FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) facility to Cyprus."

Energean gas offer to Cyprus - CYPRUS MAIL

July 7 2018

Charles Ellinas

Greek oil and gas company Energean is seeking approval from the Cyprus government to build a pipeline from its Israeli offshore gas fields and import 0.5 to 1 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year to the island, Reuters news agency reported this week.

Such a deal would help Cyprus meet its obligations to switch to cleaner energy such as natural gas and renewables by 2020 if it is to avoid hefty fines by the European Commission.

This is not the first time such an offer has been made. An article released by Cyprus News Agency in December 2017 said that Energean had made an informal approach to the government to develop and take Aphrodite gas by pipeline to the FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading facility) it proposes to use to develop its Karish and Tanin gas fields in Israel, treat it and export it to Cyprus. The offer was not confirmed by the government.

Given that Energean is offering gas to its Israeli clients at less $4.50 per million btu (about 1000 cubic feet), such an offer could have been interesting and possibly compete with Cyprus’ liquified natural gas (LNG) import plans. With Aphrodite running the risk of remaining stranded due to the low global gas prices, it merited consideration. Unfortunately, it was not considered and the offer lapsed.

Energean ready to take Gaza Marine gas field stake if Israel, Palestinians agree - REUTERS

JULY 6, 2018 / 1:10 PM
Shadia Nasralla

LONDON (Reuters) - Greek oil and gas company Energean (ENOG.L) is ready to buy and operate a 45 percent stake in the offshore gas field Gaza Marine as soon as both the Israeli and Palestinian authorities give their green light, its Chief Executive said.

The field has long been seen as an opportunity for the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority to join the eastern Mediterranean gas bonanza, providing a major source of income to reduce its reliance on foreign aid and Israeli energy.

But Palestinian political disputes and conflict with Israel, as well as economic factors, have delayed plans to develop the field.

Energean chief executive Mathios Rigas told Reuters late on Thursday that the company was ready to buy the gas field stake “if that is something the host governments approve”. “We have proven we can get gas flowing quickly,” he said.

Natural Gas From Israel to Jordan in 2020 - ALBAWABA

July 6, 2018 - 07:30 GMT

Work is under way to construct a pipeline to transfer $10 billion worth of natural gas from Israel into Jordan, with supplies expected to begin in 2020, said a government official.

Contractors are currently working on building a 65-kilometre pipeline that stretches from the Kingdom’s borders with Israel in the north to Mafraq Governorate.

The pipeline, once completed, will be connected to the gas pipeline in Mafraq, and gas will later be distributed to the country's power plants for generation of electricity, Abdel Fattah Daradkeh, director general of the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO), told The Jordan Times in an interview this week.

“The pipeline will be completed by the end of 2019 and we were informed by Noble Energy that gas will start flowing to Jordan in early 2020,” the official added.

Work is also ongoing to build a pipeline on the Israeli side to transfer the gas to Jordan, he added.

Egypt is optimistic about new gas discoveries in the Mediterranean - THE ECONOMIST

Jul 5th 2018| CAIRO

Some think the new fields could turn Egypt into an energy hub

FIVE years ago the country that hopes to become a Mediterranean energy hub couldn’t even keep the lights on. When Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi took power in a coup in July 2013, Egypt was plagued by blackouts. Factories shut down. Surgeons operated by torchlight.

Egypt’s energy supply is still spotty. But on June 27th newspapers trumpeted the discovery of an enormous natural-gas field, called Noor, off the coast of North Sinai (see map). They billed it as the largest in the region. That title is already held by Egypt’s massive Zohr field, discovered in 2015, which is expected to change the country from a net importer to a net exporter of gas by next year.

Natural gas importer Defa calls Greek pipeline proposal unsolicited - CYPRUS MAIL

JULY 5, 2018

Elias Hazou 

The Natural Gas Public Company (Defa) on Thursday described as unsolicited a proposal it received from Greek company Energean to build a pipeline to Cyprus from Israeli offshore gas fields.

Defa chairman Simeon Kassianides said the proposal was not submitted as part of a call for tender.

Once the tender is called, he added, any interested company, Energean included, could submit their proposals.

By law, Defa is the sole importer of natural gas in Cyprus. It plans to issue a tender for natural gas imports in the near future.

Earlier in the day, Energean’s chief executive said the company is seeking approval from Cyprus for the Greek firm to build a pipeline from its Israeli offshore gas fields and import 0.5 to 1 billion cubic metres of gas a year to the island.

“We submitted a proposal to sell gas from the FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading facility) to Cyprus. We sent it last week,” CEO Mathios Rigas told Reuters.

Energean, which listed on London’s main stock exchange this year, has committed $1.6bn to the Karish and Tanin fields which have potential reserves of 2.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 32.8 million barrels of light oil and condensate.

Energean asks Cyprus for approval to import Israeli gas via new pipeline - REUTERS

JULY 5, 2018 / 6:24 PM

Reporting by Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Mark Potter

LONDON (Reuters) - Energean is seeking approval from Cyprus for the Greek oil and gas firm to build a pipeline from its Israeli offshore gas fields and import 0.5 to 1 billion cubic meters of gas a year to the island, Energean’s chief executive said on Thursday.

Energean, which listed on London’s main stock exchange this year, has committed $1.6 billion to the Karish and Tanin fields which have potential reserves of 2.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 32.8 million barrels of light oil and condensate.

It estimates the five blocs it owns around Karish and Tanin contain an additional 5 trillion cubic feet of gas. It expects an external assessment over the coming weeks.

“We submitted a proposal to sell gas from the FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading facility) to Cyprus. We sent it last week,” CEO Mathios Rigas told Reuters.

Israeli Supreme Court dismisses petition against the Karish-Tanin Development - ENERGEAN OIL & GAS

London, 5 July 2018

Energean Oil and Gas plc (LSE: ENOG), the independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused on the Eastern Mediterranean, announces that on 3 July 2018 the Israeli Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, unanimously dismissed the petition filed on 14 September 2017 by two environmental groups against Energean and the Petroleum Commissioner, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Finance, in connection with the Karish-Tanin Development.

These proceedings constituted the sole outstanding court proceedings against Energean in Israel. Energean is planning to deliver gas to the Israeli market from the Karish-Tanin Development in 2021, and is on track with its project milestones to achieve this timeline.

Bahr Essalam Phase 2 goes onstream offshore Libya - OFFSHORE MAGAZINE

JULY/05/2018

SAN DONATO MILANESE, Italy – Mellitah Oil & Gas, the joint venture between Eni and Libya’s NOC, has started production from the first well of the Bahr Essalam Phase 2 project in the Mediterranean Sea offshore Libya.

Start-up was three years after the final investment decision. Two further wells are due to enter production during the next few days. With a further seven set to come onstream by October.

Phase 2 will complete development of the country’s largest producing gas field, Eni said, increasing its production potential by 400 MMcf/d.

By October, the field’s total output should reach 1.1 bcf/d.

Bahr Essalam, 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Tripoli, contains more than 260 bcm of gas. This is delivered through the Sabratha platform to the onshore Mellitah treatment plant, with most of the supplies directed to Libya’s national network.

Jordan pipeline for Israeli gas set for completion by end of 2019 - WORLD OIL / BLOOMBERG

JULY/4/2018
Mohammad Tayseer, Yaacov Benmeleh

TEL AVIV (Bloomberg) -- A pipeline to transport $10 billion worth of natural gas over 15 years from Israel’s Leviathan field into Jordan will be completed by the end of 2019, according to the company buying the fuel.

Engineers building a 65-km (40-mi) pipeline from Jordan’s border with Israel northward across Mafraq province will finish their work on time to receive first gas from Leviathan at the start of 2020, Abdel Fattah Daradkeh, director general of Jordan’s National Electric Power Co., said in a phone interview. A section of pipeline to move gas from the offshore field through Israel to the border is also under construction, he said.

After years of legal and regulatory logjams, the companies developing Leviathan are making significant progress to honor multi-billion-dollar export deals. About 54% of the nearly $4-billion Leviathan project has been completed, the companies said this week. Jordan, with negligible energy resources of its own, would become Israel’s first buyer for gas from the Mediterranean reservoir.

Natgas market regulator to officially begin issuing import permits - ENTERPRISE

Thursday, 5 July 2018

Natgas market deregulation gets in full swing as regulator to officially begin issuing import permits: The board of directors of the new natural gas market regulator approved that it begin issuing and revoking licenses for private sector natural gas industry players, according to an Oil Ministry statement. The regulator — established under the Natural Gas Act, which deregulated the market and opened it up to the private sector — will begin its work “in the coming period,” according to the statement. Natural gas companies are currently gathering the necessary paperwork to submit their requests for a license to distribute natural gas, ministry sources said, Al Shorouk reports.

Energy Ministry announces winning bid for hydrocarbon exploration off Crete - ANA-MPA

Tuesday 3 July 2018, 17:03:13

The ministerial decision announcing the winning bid of Hellenic Petroleum (HELPE), Total and Exxon Mobil consortium for hydrocarbon research off western and northwestern Crete was made on Tuesday.

The areas concerned cover 19,868 sq.km and 20,058 sq.km, respectively.

The call for tenders went out in December 2017 following the consortium’s expression of interest, and the consortium held negotiations with the Hellenic Hydrocarbon Resources Management (HHRA) agency, which submitted its approval to Environment and Energy Minister George Stathakis last week.

Prior to the agreement's tabling in Parliament, it must go through reviews by the Court of Auditors, the signature of the leasing agreements with HHRA, and the approval of the minister. 

As HHRA head Yannis Bassias told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the finalist for hydrocarbon exploration in the Ionian Sea (HELPE-Repsol) will be submitted to the minister next week.

Petronas shortlisted for US$1.2 bil Lebanon FSRU job - THE EDGE MALAYSIA

July 03, 2018 16:00 pm +08

Jose Barrock

NATIONAL oil company Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) and 12 other international outfits have been shortlisted to develop three floating, storage and regasification units (FSRUs) in Lebanon.

News reports out of Lebanon and international shipping publications put the value of the contract to build the three FSRUs at about US$1.2 billion (RM4.81 billion), with the three ships slated to be moored at Beddawi, near Tripoli; Selaata, north of Beirut; and Zahrani, which is close to Tyre; as recommended by advisers Poten & Partners.

“Yes, Petronas has been shortlisted, but it [the bidding] is quite competitive. Some of the shortlisted companies are consortiums, which are technically very strong,” says an oil and gas (O&G) executive who is familiar with the bidding.

The consortiums prequalified include Japan’s Kawasaki, Norway’s K-Line and US’ Fluor; a partnership between Italy’s Eni and Qatar Petroleum International; a joint venture between Singapore’s BW, Dutch company Vitol with two Lebanese companies Almabani and Butec; another partnership involving US-based Excelerate with British Dutch Shell partnering Lebanese outfit BB Energy; another involving Norway’s Golar Power in partnership with Consolidated Contractors Company of Greece; the Phoenicia Energy Consortium; and lastly, France’s Total working with Norway’s Hoegh.

Egypt plans to pay USD 200-500 mn in arrears to oil producers by end-September. Will small players get any of it? - ENTERPRISE

Tuesday, 3 July 2018

Egypt to pay USD 200-500 mn in arrears to oil companies by the end of September: EGPC plans on paying USD 200-500 mn in arrears to oil producers by the end of September, EGPC sources say. EGPC is in talks with the government to arrange the financing, according to the sources. The Finance Ministry had reportedly agreed back in May to issue letters of assurance for two loans to the EGPC worth a combined USD 850 mn to repay IOCs. Sources had also previously said that a USD 200 mn payment would be made to IOCs in June. Egypt’s total arrears had been brought down to USD 2.1 bn as of February.

Will smaller players get any of it? Our friends in the industry noted that while the state’s backlog of payments to the industry is declining, that’s because large players including the global majors have been paid out at the expense of smaller local and regional fish.

Pyatt welcomes steps on Greek-Bulgarian gas pipeline - ANA-MPA / CAPITAL

Monday, 2 July 2018 - 18:50

US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt welcomed agreements that were signed last week regarding the construction of a natural gas pipeline between Greece and Bulgaria.

"An important and welcome development as we seek to enhance diversity of supply and routes in the European gas market. Also complements the Planned Alexandroupoli floating LNG storage and regasification unit," he said in a tweet.

Last week several agreements were signed in Sofia regarding the construction of the IGB gas pipeline linking the two countries.

A cooperation agreement was signed between IGB and TAP for connectivity of the two gas pipelines, while, a joint declaration was also signed between the shareholders in the project company for confirming a commitment to start its construction.

Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) was signed regarding the realization of the IGB project. The memorandum concerns securing preferential loan financing in connection with using the state guarantee of Bulgaria (expected 110 million euros) and is a key step in IGB’s realization.

US Drlling with a British Drill in Cyprus - PHILELEFTHEROS

2 July 2018

TEKMOR: Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros reports that drilling in Cyprus' Block 10 by ExxonMobil will start mid-November & finish in March 2019 using a super modern UK-flagged drilling platform, owned by a London-HQ British company with a presence in Cyprus as well. In the mean time Maltese MedServ has reported an agreement for the provision of onshore logistics with a multinational that will be conducting exploration activities in Cyprus' EEZ.

Oil Ministry downplays suggestions that Noor field could be 3x Zohr - ENTERPRISE

Monday, 2 July 2018

Oil Ministry advises caution on reports of the size of the Noor field: Oil Minister Tarek El Molla pulled the brakes on reports on reserve figures on the Noor gas field off the coast of North Sinai. He tells Youm7 that the numbers being reported are not official and are not sanctioned by the Oil Ministry. The local and international press had caused a stir last week with reports that Italy’s Eni could unlock as much as 90 tcf of natural gas reserves from the Noor field, would make it about 3x the size of the supergiant Zohr gas field, if true. El Molla noted that the concession agreements for the field have yet to be ratified by the House of Representatives, so Eni would not have even started operations on the field yet.

A source in the industry tells that while the seismic studies are still in progress, drilling of the well won’t take place until later this year — and won’t reach its planned target depth before early January 2019. The source also points out that “on average, exploration wells have a success rate of around 20-25%,” calling it “absolutely extraordinary and extremely unlikely” that it would yield a mega-find on the scale suggested by the press last week.

Egypt issues final liquefied gas tender on road to self-sufficiency - THE ARAB WEEKLY

Sunday 01/JULY/2018Hassan Abdel Zaher

Egypt’s oil and gas sector is expected to receive $10 billion in investments in the next two years.

CAIRO - Egypt is close to reaching self-sufficiency in natural gas and resuming exports, which would end almost a decade of dependence on imports.

Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek el-Molla said Egypt’s latest liquefied natural gas tender for nine shipments of natural gas could be its last because local production would meet domestic demand and even allow for energy exports next year.

“I don’t think there will be more tenders beyond this. I think this is it,” Molla said. “Local production should cover our needs.”

Egypt would look to export natural gas to international markets almost a decade after halting exports due to increasing consumption, decreasing production and a lack of upgrade for Egypt’s natural gas fields. Natural gas finds, particularly in the eastern Mediterranean, have revamped Egypt’s energy plans.

President meets Total chief in Paris - CYPRUS MAIL

Anastasiades (L), Pouyanne (R)

July 1, 2018

Katy Turner

Total’s energy programme was discussed during a meeting in Paris between President Nicos Anastasiades and the general director of the company Patrick Pouyanne, during which he reiterated Total’s interest in increasing its presence in Cyprus.

Government Spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said during the meeting on Saturday evening “the company’s commitment to Cyprus was repeated”.

At the same time, the company “reconfirmed its increased interest in the EEZ of our country”.

Prodromou was in the meeting, as was Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis.

In a tweet, Lakkotrypis said the company had expressed “intense interest in expanding its interests in Cyprus’ EEZ”.

Total and Italian company ENI are partners in blocks 11 and 6. An exploratory drilling carried out in early 2017 in Calypso target revealed a “promising discovery” but no data have been disclosed yet concerning the size of the reservoir size.

First Gas Deliveries to Turkey Launched Via TANAP Pipeline - SPUTNIK NEWS

30.JUNE.2018, 14:24 

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Azerbaijan has started first gas deliveries to Turkey via the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), Southern Gas Corridor CJSC General Director Afgan Isayev said in a statement.

"The SGC project has been financially supported by the leading international financial institutions, and Phase-0 under TANAP project, which relates to the works required for the first commercial gas deliveries to Turkey, has already been completed. First commercial gas deliveries to Turkey has commenced today, on 30 June 2018. The works planned for the delivery of natural gas to Europe through Turkey in the near future are being carried out according to the schedule," Isayev was quoted as saying in the statement.

According to the statement, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA, part of World Bank group) has approved the loan for the Azerbaijan Republic totaling $750 million to finance the TANAP project.

It will transport gas from the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz Stage 2 gas field to Turkey and Europe.

The target capacity of the TANAP pipeline is 31 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The pipeline is 1,150 miles long.

Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline to Improve European Energy Security - Moscow - SPUTNIK NEWS

30.JUNE.2018, 11:19 

Sergey Guneev

VIENNA (Sputnik) - The European Union realizes that Russia is the guarantor of the European energy security, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik commenting on the US calls to abandon the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

"I think that everyone in Europe realizes that Russia is the guarantor of continent's energy security. And if we talk about US ambitions to ensure this security, the current US share in the European gas market is about only two percent," Grushko said in an interview.

The energy cooperation requires maximum depoliticization and should be based on economic interests, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik.

"We have always assumed that the energy cooperation should be based on economic factors. It is necessary to achieve maximum depoliticization of such cooperation, to eliminate the influence of any geopolitical factors," Grushko noted.

The construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will improve the European energy security, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister stated.

Saipem/PMS to manage Zohr life of field operations - OFFSHORE MAGAZINE

JUNE/29/2018

SAN DONATO MILANESE, Italy – Saipem, in a consortium with Petroleum Marine Services (PMS), has won a contract to provide life of field operations for Petrobel’s deepwater Zohr gas field development in the Egyptian sector of the Mediterranean Sea.

Operations will be managed from PMS’ DP-2 vessel Ahmed Fadel, with Saipem subsidiary Sonsub performing subsea equipment management and servicing.

Stefano Porcari, director of operations of Saipem’s Offshore E&C division, said: “This contract confirms Saipem’s leadership position…as a provider of global offshore solutions, from concept to end-of-life of a subsea field.”

Cyprus contract awarded - THE TIMES OF MALTA

Friday, June 29, 2018, 06:38

Medserv has announced that it has signed a second contract with a multinational oil and gas corporation (TEKMOR note: ExxonMobil most likely) to provide shore base logistics services for exploration activities taking place offshore Cyprus.

To provide these services, the company will be setting up additional logistics facilities in the port of Limassol. It is expected that this contract will be serviced through the group’s internal resources.

Medserv also supports the offshore activity of ENI in the region. The award of this contract is another major step to broaden the group’s oil and gas client portfolio and establishes the company now in eight countries as tendering activity continues.

Eni To Begin Gas Exploration At Egypt Noor Field In Two Months -RIGZONE / REUTERS

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Reporting by Ahmed Ismail Writing by Eric Knecht. Editing by Jane Merriman

CAIRO, June 28 (Reuters) - Italian oil company Eni will begin drilling an exploratory well at its Noor field in Egypt's North Sinai in two months, Egyptian oil ministry spokesman Hamdi Abel Aziz told Reuters on Thursday.

Egypt's cabinet approved the $105 million deal to explore the North Sinai region of the Mediterranean Sea in March.

Eni's discovery of the giant Mediterranean gas field Zohr in 2015, estimated to hold about 30 trillion cubic feet of gas, has raised interest in gas exploration in Egypt.

The company has not said what level of reserves they expect Noor to contain, and the exploratory well will help to begin determine that, Abdelaziz said.

Pioneering Spirit Resumes Work on TurkStream Pipeline - MARITIME EXECUTIVE

2018-JUNE-28, 17:54:38

Less than a month after completing a successful platform installation off Norway, the Pioneering Spirit has resumed pipelay work on the TurkStream pipeline under the Black Sea. She has had a busy year: she finished building the pipeline's first string on April 30, exited the Black Sea on May 2, installed a 22,000 tonne topsides unit at the Johan Sverdrup field off Norway in early June, and entered the Black Sea once more on June 20.

Upon her return at the TurkStream site, the Pioneering Spirit conducted preparatory work, including stinger deployment and pipelay equipment checks. Once she was ready, the unfinished head of the second pipeline string was recovered from the bottom of the Black Sea, at a depth of 7,100 feet. The initial 120 nm section of the second string was built in 2017, and was only completed up to the Russian-Turkish EEZ border.

Libya State Oil Co. confident eastern rival can't ship crude - WORLD OIL

JUNE/28/2018

CAIRO (Bloomberg) -- The chairman of Libya’s National Oil Corp. in Tripoli said he’s confident that the U.S. and other world powers would help block authorities in eastern Libya from exporting any crude after militia captured key ports there.

Natural Gas: Cyprus Heading towards a New Energy Era - CYPRUS MAIL

JUNE 27, 2018

Two European co-funded projects Cynergy and Cyprus Gas2EU, organised a Discussion Forum with the title “Natural Gas: Cyprus Heading towards a New Energy Era” at the Filoxenia Conference Centre in Nicosia. The event was under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, and attracted more than 160 delegates from the transport and energy sectors, public bodies, and international organisations. The first official presentation of the CYnergy video was also held during the event.

In his welcome speech, Mr. Lakkotrypis emphasized on the importance of CYnergy, as being an extremely important project for Cyprus, since it sets the foundations for importing LNG and thus contributes to the island’s energy security and the roll-out of gas market. He also added that CyprusGas2EU is a project of particular national importance, as it will help Cyprus to finally wean itself off conventional fossil fuels for electricity production, which currently account for approximately 90 per cent.

Israeli energy stocks plunge on huge Egyptian gas find reports - GLOBES

27 Jun, 2018 12:54
Sonia Gorodeisky

Italian co Eni is reportedly set to announce the Noor gas discovery, which will even dwarf the massive Zohr field.

Egyptian media reports that Italian energy company Eni is about to announce a massive offshore gas discovery in the coming few days have been enough to seen energy stocks on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) plunging. With an estimated 2,550 billion cubic meters (BCM) of gas, Noor would be three times larger than the Zohr gas field, over five times larger than Israel's Leviathan field and more than ten times the Tamar field.

At midday, Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) was down 3.42%, Delek Drilling LP (TASE: DEDR.L) was down 4.46%, Isramco Ltd. (Nasdaq: ISRL; TASE: ISRA.L) was down 3.63% and Ratio Oil Exploration (1992) LP (TASE:RATI.L) was down 4.70%.

Former Egyptian Petroleum Minister Osama Kamal said, “If you remember two months ago we said that more discoveries will follow in this area. Hopefully, this great news will be announced by the President and the minister of petroleum in a few days.”

Washington ‘cultivating Greece as anchor of stability,’ says Mitchell - KATHIMERINI

WEDNESDAY JUNE 27, 2018, 13:39

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell told Congress’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that Washington is “constructing a long-term strategy to bolster the US presence in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

To this end, “we are cultivating Greece as an anchor of stability in the Mediterranean and Western Balkans and working to systematically strengthen security and energy cooperation with Cyprus,” he stressed.

Asked about Turkey, Mitchell said that “our immediate concerns are to… prevent Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 system; and to develop a modus vivendi for our respective forces and local partners in stabilizing Northern Syria and preventing ISIS’s return.”

The American official also said that securing the release by Turkish authorities of an American pastor, Andrew Brunson, and other unjustly detained US citizens and local embassy staff, was also among Washington’s top priorities vis-à-vis Ankara.

Israel to Ease Drilling Curbs to Entice Majors to Next AuctionBy - BLOOMBERG

June 26, 2018, 12:30 AM GMT+3Stephen Cunningham

• Egypt deal, planned gas pipeline improve export outlook
• Sees progress on resolving Cyprus row over gas reservoir

Israel plans to relax drilling restrictions as it gets ready to offer up more offshore exploration licenses later this year following a lackluster reaction last time around.

From talks already held or planned with some of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp., ConocoPhillips and BP Plc, it “seems as if there is a lot of interest,” Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said in an interview in Washington on Monday.

Cyprus’s potential export pipeline to Egypt and recent exploration success - OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY / GLOBALDATA ENERGY

25 JUNE 2018

Cyprus is likely to join Egypt and Israel as a key player in the Eastern Mediterranean area now that the pipeline from the Aphrodite field to Egypt has become a tangible reality. This turnout is expected to trigger further exploration activity by operators in the country and Cyprus can see a substantial investment in upstream natural gas developments in the near future.

Delek Energy, a key stakeholder, has also proposed a partnership in the export pipeline to potentially secure an additional export route for its Leviathan field in Israel placing even greater focus on Cyprus’ role in the gas sector.

Noor reserves will rank among the largest gas fields: Eni - EGYPT INDEPENDENT / AL MASRY AL YOUM

June 24, 2018
1:33 pm

Sources from the Ministry of Oil said on Saturday that the ministry has discussed new exploration plans for the Noor gas field in the Shorok concession area of the Mediterranean Sea with the Italian multinational company Eni which sees it ranked among the largest gas fields worldwide.

According to sources, the Noor field reserves are expected to reach over 90 trillion cubic feet, three times that of the Zohr Field reserves (TEKMOR Note: Not confirmed yet via a second source).

Eni’s CEO Claudio Descalzi held a meeting with Minister of Oil Tarek al-Mula on Saturday, and said that his company has allocated 70 percent of its global investments to Egypt.

Descalzi added Eni has injected $8.4 billion in the Nawras and Zohr gas fields in Egypt, and that Eni will inject a further $3 billion.

Oil expert Ahmed Abdel Halim told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the large amount of Eni’s investments going towards gas explorations in Egypt indicates the massive explorations carried out by the company.

Did Eni pledge USD 3 bn in investments in Egypt? Plus: We could be exporting natural gas by year’s end, early 2019 - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 24 June 2018

INVESTMENT WATCH- Did Eni pledge USD 3 bn in investments in Egypt? Eni plans to allocate USD 3 bn in new investments in Egypt over “the coming period,” Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said, according to a purported statement from the Oil Ministry floating around in the local press on Thursday. The company’s investments in the fields of Nooros and Zohr now stood at USD 8.4 bn, Descalzi reportedly said during a sit down with Oil Minister Tarek El Molla.

Eni is also keen on exploring possible projects in renewable energy, Descalzi said in a meeting with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, according to an Ittihadiya statement. While the statement gave no detail, it is likely that Descalzi is speaking of building a 50 MW solar power plant in the Red Sea’s Abu Redis to sell power directly to consumers under an independent power producer (IPP) framework. Eni was one of five companies that had submitted proposals back in April to build under the IPP framework.

Mubadala enters Egypt with Zohr acquisition: Descalzi’s statements come a day after Eni finalized a 10% stake sale in the Shorouk concession, which holds the Zohr gas field, to the UAE’s Mubadala Petroleum, according to a statement from the Oil Ministry. The USD 934 mn agreement, which was signed by Eni in March, now sees Eni’s share through its JV with the Oil Ministry IEOC fall to 50%, with Rosneft holding a 30% and BP taking 10% alongside Mubadala’s 10%. More reading: Eni statement’s (pdf) on the transaction.

A Storm Is Brewing In The Southern Gas Corridor - OIL PRICE

Jun 23, 2018, 4:00 PM CDT

Vanand Meliksetian

No fewer than Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko attended a gathering in Central Turkey on 12 June. The amount and variety of attendees of this meeting reveal a common interest in one field of geopolitical developments: energy and more specifically natural gas.

The opening ceremony of the 1.850 kilometers long Trans Anatolian Pipeline, TANAP, starting at the Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan and ending in Turkey, is the last step before connecting to the European grid in Greece and Italy. TANAP is part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which was the dream of many European leaders and officials to create an alternative to Russian gas.

Cyprus, Israel, Greece pledge deeper military ties - ABC NEWS / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lieberman (L), Angelides (C), Kammenos (R)

Larnaca, Cyprus — Jun 22, 2018, 11:28 AM ET

Menelaos Hadjicostis

Cyprus, Israel and Greece must forge deeper military ties to improve security and more effectively counter common threats in a turbulent region, the countries' defense ministers said Friday.

Cypriot Minister Savvas Angelides and his Israeli and Greek counterparts Avigdor Lieberman and Panos Kammenos said they also seek to expand cooperation on cybersecurity, joint military drills and search and rescue operations in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Israeli defense minister said the threat of terror attacks and the challenges posed by illegal migration in a region he called "an ocean of violence" where "rogue states" operate must be met collectively.

"It's much better to counter regional threats together," Lieberman told a news conference. He also said Israel will host the ministers' next trilateral meeting.

The ministers also hailed the first conference bringing together Cypriot, Greek and Israeli companies active in the military industry.

Palestinians in talks with int'l co to develop Marine gas field - GLOBES

21 Jun, 2018 20:16
Amiram Barkat and Sonia Gorodeisky

The gas produced from the reservoir will be used to operate the power station in Gaza and another 450-megawatt power station to be built in Jenin.

Almost 20 years after it was discovered, the Palestinian Authority (PA) will try to develop the Gaza Marine natural gas reservoir located off the coast of the Gaza Strip by itself, sources inform "Globes." In the past, the PA asked Israel for the use of the state's gas transmission infrastructure, and the matter is currently being discussed. The sources add that the owners of the rights in the reservoir are negotiating with an international drilling operator to develop and operate the reservoir.

According to the plan, the gas produced from the reservoir will be used to operate the power station in the Gaza Strip and another 450-megawatt power station slated for construction in the Jenin area. In addition to local consumption, the Palestinians are trying to find customers for their gas in the region in order to reach a minimum amount of demand for gas that will justify development of the reservoir. Costs of developing gas reservoirs have recently fallen, thereby making it easier to carry out plans.

ENI Finalizes Lucrative Shorouk Stake Sale - PETROLEUM AFRICA

Thursday, June 21, 2018

ENI finalized the sale of a 10% stake in its Shorouk concession to Mubadala Petroleum, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company. The Shorouk concession is located offshore Egypt, holding the massive Zohr gas field.

Following a record start-up less than two and a half years from discovery, the project is now in its ramp-up phase with the aim of reaching 2 Bcf/d of total installed treatment capacity by the end of the year, and a production plateau of 2.7 Bcf/d by the end of 2019.

Claudio Descalzi, ENI CEO said: “We welcome today’s announcement with Mubadala Petroleum, a strong and reliable partner with whom we look forward to working with. Working alongside significant partners such as Mubadala Petroleum, BP and Rosneft is a further boost for the development of Zohr and underlines the quality of the asset, which will play a fundamental role in supporting Egypt’s goal of achieving energy independence.”

"Catastrophic Damage" in Fighting at Ras Lanuf Terminal - THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

Tank roof burns, Ras Lanuf, June 16 (National Oil Company)

2018-06-21 14:32:43Amer Hammuda

On Wednesday, Libya's National Oil Corporation reported "catastrophic damage" to two of the five tanks at the Ras Lanuf oil terminal due to fighting between militia groups.

The damage resulted in a 400,000-barrel reduction in crude oil storage capacity (from 950,000 barrels to 550,000 barrels), and the NOC said that Tank 2 is in danger of leaking and spreading the fire to the three surviving tanks. Ras Lanuf's terminal once had about a dozen tanks, but the long series of conflicts since the end of the Gaddafi era have destroyed all but a few.

The so-called Petroleum Facilities Guard militia attacked the terminals at Ras Lanuf and Es Sider on June 14. The group controlled the terminals until last year, when they were seized from by forces loyal to Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who controls the eastern half of Libya. The attack forced the NOC to evacuate employees, declare force majeure and suspend loadings, cutting Libya's daily oil export volume in half.

One employee was shot and injured during the attack on the terminal, and several more were robbed, NOC reported. All others were evacuated safely.

Mubadala unit acquires 10% stake in offshore Egyptian gas field - ARABIAN BUSINESS

Dr Bakheet Al Katheeri, CEO, Mubadala Petroleum.

Wed 20 Jun 2018 03:39 PM GST

Mubadala Petroleum completes acquisition from Italy's Eni of the interest in the Shorouk concession in Egypt, which contains the giant Zohr gas field

Mubadala Petroleum has announced that it has completed the acquisition from Italy’s Eni of a 10 percent interest in the offshore Shorouk concession in Egypt, which contains the giant Zohr gas field.

Following the completion, Eni, through its subsidiary IEOC, holds a 50 percent interest in the concession. The other partners in the concession are BP with 10 percent interest and Rosneft with 30 percent interest.

The Zohr field was discovered by Eni in August 2015 and is the largest natural gas field ever found in the Mediterranean, with a total potential of up to 30 trillion cubic feet of gas in place.

The field is currently producing over 1.1 billion cubic feet of gas per day (bcfd), equivalent to approximately 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Production is expected to increase to 2 bcfd by end 2018 and to reach a production plateau of 2.7 bcfd by end 2019.

Europe: Cyprus to launch tender for FSRU purchase - BUNKERSPOT

20.06.2018

The floating storage regasification unit (FSRU), which will be permanently stationed in Vasilikos harbour, is expected to facilitate LNG bunkering.

The FSRU is a key component of the CyprusGas2EU project, which falls under the European Union’s (EU) CYnergy project that aims to promote the uptake of natural gas in Cyprus and the development of a sustainable and fully functional natural gas market.

In a keynote address during a workshop in Nicosia earlier this week, Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, who revealed that a separate tender for the import of LNG would be launched by the end of the year, said that Cyprus2GasEU had received €101 million in funding from the EU for the €250 million project.

‘Essentially, we shall be able, where necessary, to trade LNG between the infrastructures at Vasilikos and the [LNG terminal] at Revythousa in Greece,’ Lakkotrypis was quoted as saying by Cyprus Mail.

SDX Energy reports gas discovery in Egypt's South Disouq Concession - WORLD OIL

JUNE/19/2018

LONDON -- SDX Energy Inc., the North Africa focused oil and gas company, has announced that a gas discovery has been made at its SD-4X well in the South Disouq Concession, Egypt (SDX 55% working interest and operator).

The SD-4X well was drilled to a TD of 7,806 ft and encountered 89 ft of net conventional natural gas pay in the Abu Madi horizon, which had an average porosity in the pay section of 24%. The well came in on prognosis with a reservoir section of similar quality but thicker than the original SD-1X discovery well.

The well will be completed as a producer in the Abu Madi and then tested after the drilling rig has moved off location. The testing is anticipated to commence between 30 and 45 days after the rig departs, depending on the availability of testing equipment. Assuming a successful test, it is anticipated that the well will be connected to the infrastructure located adjacent to the original SD-1X discovery, where production start-up is anticipated late in fourth-quarter 2018. After completion, the rig will move to the SD-3X well which is the second of two appraisal locations included in the 2018 development program.

Total confirms interest in expanding in Cyprus - CYPRUS MAIL

Total's Stephane Michel at the presidential palace on Tuesday

JUNE 19, 2018  

Elias Hazou

French oil and gas giant Total is interested in broadening its presence in Cyprus’ hydrocarbons space, president Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday after seeing a senior executive of the company.

“There is an ongoing positive consultation,” Anastasiades told reporters following a meeting at the presidential palace with Stephane Michel, head of Total’s Middle East and North Africa Exploration & Production.

Energy minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, present at the meeting with Michel, confirmed that the French multinational is interested in expanding their activities in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Asked whether Total wanted to buy into licensed acreages other than block 8, he said: “There is an interest broadly speaking, there are various ways in which the company wants to expand.

“This development absolutely satisfies us.”

Total recently applied to acquire a 50 per cent stake in block 8, licensed to ENI.

Delek, Noble, Egyptian partner in talks to acquire stake in EMG - ENTERPRISE

Tuesday, 19 June 2018

Delek, Noble, Egyptian partner in talks to acquire stake in EMG, which could quash outstanding arbitration ruling: The stars appear to be aligning in favor of an agreement that could see Egypt become a hub for East Mediterranean gas and end a long-standing arbitration case. Israel’s Delek, its Texas-based partner on the Leviathan gas field in Israel Noble Energy, and an unnamed Egyptian partner are in advanced talks to close on the acquisition of a 37% stake in the East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG), which owns a pipeline that had once been used to transport Egyptian LNG to Israel, people familiar with the matter tell Bloomberg.

Clearing the way for gas imports from Israel: The stakes under discussion include those currently owned by businessmen Sam Zell and Yossi Maiman, who along with Israel Electric Corporation, successfully won arbitration cases against Egypt for cutting off natural gas exports to Israel in favor of domestic consumption back in 2012. If completed, the transaction would make the consortium the largest voting bloc in EGM, and potentially clearing the biggest legal hurdle standing against Egypt importing gas from Israel. As we noted last week, Delek shareholders will meet on 1 July to vote on investing USD 200 mn to buy EMG.

SDX announces spud of SRM-3 oil well in Egypt - OIL REVIEW MIDDLE EAST

Sunday, 17 June 2018 06:39

SDX Energy Inc, the North Africa-focused oil and gas firm, has announced to spud its SRM-3 appraisal well at South Ramadan, Egypt, where SDX has a 12.75 per cent working interest

The SRM-3 well is the last remaining commitment well on the South Ramadan concession. The well is anticipated to take up to 90 days to drill and complete. Based upon the results of this well SDX will decide how to optimise its position in the licence.

London-headquartered SDX is a continual player in North Africa’s oil and gas sector. In May 2018, the company achieved positive results of the well test conducted on the Ibn Yunus 1X well, following the conventional natural gas discovery at South Disouq, Egypt.

Apart from Egypt, SDX has a significant presence in Morocco’s oil and gas sector as well. It made a conventional natural gas discovery at the LMS-1 exploration well on the Lalla Mimouna permit in Morocco, where the company has 75 per cent stake.

Referring to oil and gas activities in North African nations, Paul Welch, president and CEO of SDX, said that the company remain optimistic about further positive news flow as we move towards delivering the first gas from the licence before the end of 2018.

In 2017, the company was awarded gas discovery at KSR-14 and KSR-15 well on the Sebou area in Morocco. In 2016, SDX Energy and Dana Petroleum commenced drilling operations on its high-impact exploration well on Bakassi West in Cameroon, Central Africa’s major oil and gas project.