Turkey-Russia relations improve with pipeline politics - NATURAL GAS WORLD

November 19th, 2016, 8:20am

Last July’s failed coup attempt in Turkey alarmed everyone who is involved in this region one way or another, writes Anir Jahangirli for NGW. Reactions were across the board: financial markets in the country were shaken and internal political structures were thrown into disarray. The government introduced a state of emergency and is pursuing a hunt of possible coup-attempt allies and supporters.

As a country in southeast Europe and a member of Nato, Turkey hosts US nuclear arsenal and was a key Western ally during the Cold War against the USSR. It has a large competitive market economy and the country is a member of the G20 Club. Since Mr Erdogan came to power, Turkey’s economy saw a boost and the society has been transitioning from the strictly secular into a so-called “moderate Islamic” state.

Turkey increases gas import from Azerbaijan by 330 million cubic meters - APA

18 November 2016 / 16:10

Baku, Vusal Nabiyev

Turkey’s BOTAS is planning to import 36.5 billion cubic meters of gas by the year-end, down 4.1 billion cubic meters from 2015.

According to Anadolu agency, the company imported 40.6 bcm of gas last year.

BOTAS plans to reduce gas import from Russia by 3.99 billion cubic meters.

Along with this, the company intends to increase the gas import from Azerbaijan to 6.5 bcm (6.17 bcm in 2015), from Iran to 7.85 bcm (7.83 in 2015) and from Algeria to 4.38 bcm (3.92 bcm in 2015).

Lebanon keen to revive offshore exploration - LINKED IN / MIDDLE EAST OIL & GAS MONITOR

East Med Foreign Ministers: Kasoulides, Bassil and Kotzias.

November 17, 2016Gary Lakes

With the election of a new president and the formation of a new government in the making, Lebanon is looking forward to a time when it might finally move ahead with its long-delayed plans to explore for hydrocarbons in the East Mediterranean. Yet with Lebanese politics being very complex, there’s no reason to expect that the offshore exploration game will come back into play quickly even though a number of politicians and businessmen are keen to get the suspended licensing round moving.

Saad Hariri, leader of the Sunni Muslim Future Movement, is trying to form a government before the country’s national day on November 22. If he meets that deadline it may suggest that there exists sufficient goodwill among Lebanon’s numerous political parties and religious sects to put the country on some sort of track.

Libya: OPEC gives go ahead to double oil production - ECOFIN AGENCY

Thursday, 17 November 2016 - 09:14Anita Fatunji

(Ecofin Agency) - The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has given Libya the green light to increase its crude oil export regardless of a deal being set up to cut production to manage the oversupply of crude oil and bolster prices.

According to the chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), Mustafa Sanalla, Libya’s production currently stands at 600,000 barrels of oil per day and has Africa’s largest crude oil reserves.

He added that the goal is to increase oil production to 900,000 barrels per day by the end of this year and target 1.1 million barrels of oil per day in 2017.

Sanalla said Libya is heading toward economic revival but ongoing clashes still put oil facilities at risk of being attacked again.

Israel wants 2-3 new energy firms to drill off its coast - DAILY MAIL / REUTERS

16 November 2016, 11:35 GMT
Ari Rabinovitch

JERUSALEM, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Israel began accepting bids this week from energy companies to drill for oil and gas in 24 offshore blocks, and its energy minister said that in the end he would be happy choosing just two or three foreign exploration groups.

Upon announcing the tender, Israel released new geological data pointing to a good probability that large natural gas deposits are buried off its Mediterranean coast.

"The preferred outcome is that at the end of the tender we can choose two, three companies that present serious, concrete and relatively fast work plans," Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

They could bid together with local partners, but each group must have a foreigner, he said, "because today in Israel there still are no serious operators".

Israel is preparing for gas revolution - ECONOMICS WIRE

15/11/2016Viliyana Filipova

Israel is preparing for a gas revolution, after in recent years the country released several promising discoveries in the Mediterranean Sea. The country is working to develop gas routes in three directions – north to Turkey, south to Egypt and west to Italy.

The shareholders, who developed field Leviathan, which is considered one of the most promising fields developments, has already signed an agreement to export gas in the eastern direction – to Jordan. Besides the field Leviathan in the last decade in the Mediterranean Sea Israel opened several very promising areas, including Tamar and the smaller [Karish and Tanin]. According to the Israeli Ministry of Energy the reserves of Leviathan are estimated at about 500 billion cbm, and in the Tamar are about 300 billion cbm. The last deposit was discovered in 2009 and is now being developed.

Kuwait to supply Egypt with 2 million barrels of oil a month - FOX NEWS / ASSOCIATED PRESS

November 15, 2016

CAIRO – Egypt's state news agency says Kuwait has agreed to supply Egypt with 2 million barrels of crude per month, starting in January.

Tuesday's announcement comes more than a month after Saudi Arabia halted previously agreed fuel shipments to Egypt as differences over the conflicts in Syria and Yemen strained ties between the two nations.

The Saudi move has ratcheted up pressure on Egypt as it tries to revive a battered economy and overcome a shortage of dollars.

Cairo floated its currency this month and significantly hiked fuel prices.

The MENA news agency says that under the deal with Kuwait, Egypt will get the crude at international prices with no discounts, but with a nine-month grace period.

Israel launches upstream round - NATURAL GAS WORLD

November 15th, 20164:30pmYa'acov Zalel

Israel's offshore holds up to 6.6bn barrels of oil and 2,137bn m³ of natural gas. according to an independent survey performed lately by BeicipFranlab, for the Israeli energy ministry.

Those data were published November 15 when energy minister Yuval Steinitz launched the first offshore licensing round. During a media event he not only expressed his hopes for future discoveries, but also settled scores with opponents of the natural gas framework.

"For years the sea was shut, the gas was buried and the economy was stifled. Today we change this situation, and what was a national missed opportunity to the Israeli economy. In our vision Israel will become a natural gas superpower and a significant player in the eastern Med basin," Steinitz said in a statement.

Eni Adopts Unconventional Focus On Conventionals - E&P HART ENERGY

The Saipem 10000 drillship has been used at the Zohr gas field
 offshore Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - 12:17pm Mark Thomas

LONDON—Italian major Eni has taken an unconventional approach to the ongoing “lower for longer” industry downturn, achieving outstanding results by focusing on conventional oil and gas.

While many upstream companies have pulled back from conventional offshore exploration and development activity due to traditionally longer project cycles in order to focus on shorter-cycle, faster return unconventional projects, Eni has stuck to what it knows best, according to Luca Bertelli, the company’s chief exploration officer.

Speaking in London on Nov. 15 during the exploration-focused PETEX exhibition and conference, organized by the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain, Bertelli told a crowd that Eni decided “to stay conventional. We did not want to follow the pack, but stay with what we know. We see many opportunities remaining.”

Egypt- Natural gas market regulatory authority to be established before end of 2017: El Molla - MENAFN / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

14/11/2016

(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources is aiming to complete the law to establish a regulatory authority for the natural gas market, said minister Tarek El Molla. The law has been presented to the State Council and is expected to be completed before the end of 2017.

"By the end of 2017, we will have the law and the executive regulations ready, and we will have completed the establishment of the authority to allow private companies to import gas," El Molla said during an economic conference in Cairo held on Tuesday.

The ministry has provided about eight companies to be offered in the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) during the upcoming period. The assessment of these companies will be announced in November.

Israel energy minister hopeful on gas export - NATURAL GAS WORLD

November 14th, 2016,11:20am
Ya'acov Zalel

Israel's energy minister Yuval Steinitz sees a "very rosy future" for Israel's natural gas economy in general and for gas exports in particular. Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv November 14, he said talks would lead to sales to three destinations in three directions: north to Turkey, south to Egypt and west to Italy. Leviathan Partnership already signed a contract to export gas to Jordan, east of Israel.

According to a report in business website Globes, Steinitz said that professional teams from Israel and Turkey started negotiations concerning laying a 500-km undersea pipeline from Leviathan gas field to Turkey. The previous week, Sahul Meridor, the director-general of Israel's energy ministry met with his Turkish counterpart to discuss a framework agreement.

Final decision on third-round concessions expected early 2017 - CYPRUS MAIL

Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, in charge of energy, at the House

November 14, 2016
Elias Hazou

Technocrats’ initial assessments of the bids submitted by energy companies in the third offshore licensing round should be ready within the next few weeks, Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis told MPs on Monday.

Once the ministry receives the reports and presents them to the cabinet, there will follow a period of negotiations with the preferred bidders.

A final decision awarding concessions should be made by early 2017, Lakkotrypis said.

In May 2016 Cyprus launched its third offshore licensing round. Three blocks (6, 8 and 10) have been put up for auction.

SDX Energy Inc Operations Update - SDX ENERGY INC.

14 November 2016

SDX Energy Inc. (TSXV, AIM: SDX), the North Africa focused oil and gas company, is pleased to provide an operational update on its South Disouq and Meseda concessions in Egypt. 

South Disouq 

As previously announced on 10 October 2016, SDX’s initial assessment of the 3D seismic data at South Disouq was positive and identified potential for both oil and gas bearing prospects. Further interpretation of the data has now indicated several Abu Madi and Kafr El Sheikh prospects displaying strong Class III amplitude versus offset (AVO) responses. Testing of similar responses in offset areas has resulted in numerous discoveries at these stratigraphic levels. These responses have allowed SDX to high grade several prospects for drilling in the near term. These positive AVO responses further derisk the prospectivity in the area, allowing SDX and its partners to achieve the intended goal of the 3D seismic acquisition program. 

Ethydco complex successfully produces ethylene and derivatives - ENERGY EGYPT / ENTERPRISE PRESS

November 14, 2016

The Ethydco complex has successfully produced and supplied ethylene and derivatives to the domestic market and exported excess, the Oil Ministry announced, according Al Masry Al Youm. The complex also produced polyethylene, which is used in pipelines carrying natural gas, water, and wastewater. The project helps achieve the ministry’s strategy to maximize added value on petroleum products, in addition to curbing USD costs, it said.

Israel, Turkey hold first meeting on construction of pipeline: report - i24NEWS

14/11/2016, 09:37am

Meeting builds on October meeting between Israel's energy minister and Turkish counterpart

A delegation from Israel's Foreign Ministry and Department of Energy last week held a secret meeting with Turkish representatives to discuss the construction of a gas pipeline between the two countries, Israel's Army Radio reports.

The report did not reveal any details of the meeting.

Last month, Israeli energy minister Yuval Steinitz said the countries will start examining the feasibility of building an undersea gas pipeline to pump Israeli gas to Turkish consumers and on to Europe.

"What we decided is to establish immediately a dialogue between our two governments... in order to examine the possibility and the feasibility of such a project," Steinitz said after talks with Turkish counterpart Berat Albayrak in Istanbul on October 13.