Tsipras heads to Sofia for energy talks - KATHIMERINI

SATURDAY JULY 30, 2016

Continuing his government’s efforts to boost alliances within the Balkans, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is due in Sofia on Monday for talks with Bulgarian government officials that are expected to focus on improving cooperation in the energy sector.

Tsipras and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov are to jointly chair a session of a bilateral council that is to examine the scope for cooperation in various sectors of the economy, including energy and transport.

The two countries have already participated in the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) gas pipeline and have agreed to create a liquefied natural gas terminal near Alexandroupoli in northern Greece.

Eni, BP target production of 350m cubic feet of gas from South Baltim field - DAILY NEWS EGYPT

Six wells will be linked from the new discovery to the national grid by the end of
2016/2017, says source

Mohamed Adel July 30, 2016

The Italian oil company Eni and British BP will target the production of 350m cubic feet per day of gas from the discovery in South Baltim (east of the Nile Delta) by the end of the current fiscal year. The production will be linked to the national grid during the second half of 2017.

A source in the oil sector told Daily News Egypt that the implementation of the first production tests of the well, which was drilled to determine the quantities of natural gas, has been completed to measure the quantities of gas to be produced.

Cyprus Finds Ample Interest In Offshore Licensing Round - FORBES

The new names in Cyprus' 3rd Licensing Round Negotiations

JUL 29, 2016 @ 02:07 PM
Christopher Coats

After moving to open up three offshore blocks for natural gas exploration, Cyprus has reported receiving interest from a number of international firms for areas near the recent discovery of a reported “super giant”.

According to media reports, Nicosia found interest in the effort from ENI, Total, Statoil, Exxon Mobil, Qatar Petroleum, and Cairn for an area not far from where Italy’s Eni discovered a field that could hold up to an estimated 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Earlier reports suggested that the find could end up as the Mediterranean’s largest discovery to date. The discovery also led to a boost of confidence on the part of regional energy actors like Cyprus, spurring interest from a number of firms.

Russia says in talks with Turkey on two lines of TurkStream gas pipeline - REUTERS

Fri Jul 29, 2016 4:52am EDT

Moscow and Ankara have been discussing the construction of two lines of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in a TV interview aired on Friday.

Capacity of one line is around 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

"Turkey will play a large role as a transit country to provide European consumers with gas," Novak told Russia's state Rossiya-24 TV channel.

Cyprus and Jordan FMs urge patience in trilateral cooperation with Greece - CYPRUS MAIL

JULY 29TH, 2016

The foreign ministers of Cyprus and Jordan on Friday expressed their preference for a results-oriented approach when it comes to the trilateral cooperation scheme with Greece, urging patience before the three countries reconvene again on a ministerial level.
Nasser Judeh, who is also the deputy prime minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is in Nicosia at the invitation of his Cypriot counterpart, Ioannis Kasoulides, in order to address the annual Ambassadors` Conference. The two ministers had a tête-à-tête at the foreign ministry, followed by a working lunch.

Judeh said that the trilateral cooperation “is not about deadlines and meetings for the sake of meetings”. He stressed the potential in various areas of cooperation between the three countries, such as tourism, energy, water and regional security. “Let`s see results and let’s meet these results before meeting,” he said.

Be cautious, despite oil majors’ interest, warns expert - CYPRUS MAIL

We'll know in Q4-2016 the final picture of the Cypriot EEZ

JULY 28TH, 2016 ELIAS HAZOU

DESPITE the impressive participation in the third hydrocarbons licensing round in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the government should not rest on its laurels, an energy analyst has told the Cyprus Mail.

“We are still a long way off from any [exploratory] drilling in the acreage put up for auction, and besides, matters do not seem to be moving forward with regard to the Aphrodite prospect,” Charles Ellinas said.

The expert said the turnout in the third licensing round was particularly impressive, in terms of the calibre of the bidding companies. Three oil majors are involved – ExxonMobil, ENI and Total.

“Competition for block 10 is going to be intense. It will be interesting to see who lands that concession.”

Egypt's Badr El-Din ups oil production to 137,000 barrels/day - AMWAL AL GHAD / ZAWYA / REUTERS

Mahmoud Shaaban
28 July 2016

Badr El‐Din Petroleum Company (BAPETCo), a joint venture between the Egyptian Government and Shell, has recently boosted its oil production to around 137,000 barrels per day, its chairman announced Wednesday.

The production involves around 50,000 barrels of crude and condensates per day, chairman Emad Hamdy said.

Hamdy further added that BAPETCo's total natural gas production is estimated at 490 million cubic feet amid plans for increase in the coming period.

BAPETCo's wells are located in the Western Desert concession area, where Badr 3 is its flagship oil field.

Egypt Expands Efforts to Address Natural Gas Demand - FORBES

JUL 28, 2016 @ 08:33 PM
Christopher Coats, CONTRIBUTOR

In hopes of reviving its oil and gas production efforts, Egypt has signed exploration agreements with Cypriot and U.S. firms to assist with onshore projects.

According to media reports, Cairo signed deals with IPR and Cypriot subsidiary Mediterra to help the country reach new production goals, specifically focusing on three exploration wells in sectors 7 and 8 in southern Egypt.

The deals come as Egypt continues to push for a revival of its energy production sector, which largely collapsed following the fall of the Mubarak government in 2011. Since then, Egypt has struggled to meet its rising energy needs, resulting in mounting debt to foreign producers and efforts to curb usage and subsidies to consumers.

Applications submitted for the 3rd licensing round for hydrocarbon exploration - REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS

27/07/2016 
13:06

Subsequent to today’s, July 27, official briefing of the President of the Republic and the members of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism announces that for the 3rd licensing round for offshore hydrocarbon exploration in Blocks 6, 8 and 10 in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus, the following applications were received by the application deadline, which was Friday, 22 July 2016:

Egypt produces 50m more cubic feet of natural gas - DAILY NEWS EGYPT

Tuesday July 26, 2016 - Mohamed Adel 

Eni gas fields in the Nile Delta added 110m cubic feet per day, say sources

Egypt’s daily production of natural gas has increased to 4.05bn cubic feet during this week for the first time since the beginning of the year, compared to 4bn cubic feet of gas last week. It came after adding 110m cubic feet produced daily by Italian Eni’s gas fields in the Nile Delta.

A source in Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) said the company added about 70m cubic feet of gas to the daily production from Nooros field, located in Abu Madi concession, as well as 40m cubic feet per day from East Baltim 12 in Nile Delta.

Energy issues in Turkey's hands, Russia says - UPI

Photo by tcly/Shutterstock

Russia renewing oil and gas pipeline options in the wake of Turkish coup attempt.

By Daniel J. Graeber | July 26, 2016 at 8:59 AM 

MOSCOW, July 26 (UPI) -- Decisions related to natural gas transit infrastructure tied to Russian supplies are in the hands of the Turkish government, a Gazprom chairman said.

Russian and Turkish officials discussed prospects for the so-called Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline system. Alexander Medvedev, a deputy chairman at Russian energy company Gazprom, said it's up to the Turkish government to take the next steps on the pipeline.

Socar Hits Desfa Snag - NATURAL GAS EUROPE

July 26th, 2016, John Roberts

Azerbaijan's state energy company Socar is running into problems concerning its stake in Greece's natural gas grid operator, Desfa, with the Greek parliament expected to vote imminently for a crucial change concerning the value of Desfa.

As a result, Socar is expected to send a delegation of senior officials to hold talks in Athens this week. They will address two main problems. The first concerns the size of Socar's stake in Desfa. The second – which is both far more important and far more complex – concerns the methodology of accounting within Desfa.

The first point is relatively straightforward. When Socar won the tender to acquire a 66% stake in Desfa for €400mn in June 2013, purchasing a 35% stake from Hellenic Petroleum and a 31% stake from Greek government, it had strong EU backing, not least because the leading alternative bidder was a Russian company, Sintez. At the time, the EU was also worried that Gazprom would seek to purchase Desfa's parent company, Depa, the Greek natural gas supply company. In the event, however, nobody bid for Depa and only Socar bid for Desfa.

Six applicants for three Cyprus offshore blocks - OFFSHORE ENGINEER

By Elaine Maslin Monday, 25 July 2016 03:25

Cyprus has received six applications from eight companies for the three blocks it put up in its 3rd Licensing Round for offshore exploration.

The three blocks were Blocks 6, 8 and 10, in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea.

The names of the interested companies/consortia are due to be announced this Wednesday, 27 July, with exploration and production sharing contract awards due to be made within about six months.

Israel, Cyprus to boost regional cooperation - ISRAEL HAYOM

Monday July 25, 2016

PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades meet in Jerusalem • "Leaders underscored their shared interests in regional stability and expressed their agreement to continue countering extremism and terrorism," joint statement says.

News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades met Sunday in Jerusalem. The two leaders discussed various regional issues, and agreed to increase Jerusalem and Nicosia's cooperation on shared regional concerns, such as the war on terror and energy interests.

EGAS awards contracts for 11 LNG shipments between June and August - ENERGY EGYPT / ENTERPRISE

July 25, 2016

Trafigura, Royal Dutch Shell, Rosneft, and PetroChina were awarded tenders to supply EGAS with a total of 11 LNG shipments between the months of June and August, sources told Al Borsa.

Trafigura is supplying five shipments, followed by Shell with three, Rosneft with two, and PetroChina with one. As previously reported, EGAS has issued a tender for a third FSRU to meet domestic demand as the three Siemens power plants come online soon.

Greek storage stuck in no-man's-land - NATURAL GAS EUROPE

Source: Energean Oil & Gas

July 25th, 2016, Kama Mustafayeva

Greece's environment and energy minister Panos Skourletis expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in turning a gas field into an underground natural gas storage (UGS) during a recent speech in parliament. He criticised the state privatization fund Taiped for “not having shown any interest in moving ahead all these years” with plans to convert a gas field in the Gulf of Kavala into an UGS, Energypress reports.

He said that UGS is “a highly significant issue throughout Europe and such facilities are greatly sought after,” but although ownership of the field was transferred to Taiped in 2011, nothing has been done since.

According to a source, establishing UGS was to have been part of the plan to enhance Greek energy security and foster a southeast European trading hub; other elements included the Trans Adriatic pipeline; Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria and its extension into Romania and boosting the import capacity of the LNG terminal in Revithoussa, near Athens.

Delek bids for Cypriot exploration licenses - GLOBES

24/07/2016, 10:18, Globes correspondent

Delek's units Avner and Delek Drilling have bid as part of the Capricorn Oil consortium.
Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) gas and oil exploration units Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L) and Delek Drilling LP (TASE: DEDR.L) reported this morning that they have bid for the Cypriot government tender to buy rights in the country's economic waters. Winning such a bid would by synergistic to its operations in Israel's offshore gas fields. "Globes" was the first to report last week that Delek was about to make such a bid.

The bid by the Delek units was submitted as part of the Capricorn Oil consortium. Capricorn is the consortium's operator and is a unit of Cairn Energy, which is traded on the London Stock Exchange under the CNE ticker.