Egypt to export gas in H2 of 2019: EGAS chairperson - DAILY NEWS EGYPT

Saturday February 4, 2017Mohamed Farag 

100 million cubic feet of gas allocated to run Siemens power plants

Chairperson of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) Mohamed El Masry said that Egypt is set to begin exporting natural gas in the second half (H2) of 2019.

He added that Egypt is on track to achieve self-sufficiency through the discovery of the Zohr gas field in the Mediterranean waters.

He pointed out that warning letters have been sent to factories to pay their arrears based on the scheduling scheme approved by the EGAS, especially since part of the arrears have been dropped.

He noted that all factories receive 100% of their gas needs.

Stalled Cyprus unity talks catalyst, not deal breaker - NEW EUROPE

Cyprus’ Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis (L) signs an agreement
on the transfer of natural gas through a direct undersea pipeline
from Cyprus' EEZ towards Egypt, in Nicosia, Cyprus, August 31, 2016.
Lakkotrypis told New Europe on February 1, 2017, that exports
from Cyprus’ Aphrodite field are planned for Egypt.

FEBRUARY 3, 2017, 21:46 
Kostis Geropoulos

ATHENS – Cyprus hopes the new US Administration of Donald Trump will continue supporting the strategic interests of Nicosia and Washington in East Mediterranean, Cyprus’ Energy Minister told New Europe.

Nicosia and Washington share common strategic interests, Cyprus’ Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said on the sidelines of the Athens Energy Forum on February 1.

“We have a very close relationship with the State Department. We’re very close and we look forward to the see the new Administration and to start discussions. I’m sure they will be briefed. I cannot comment on that because we haven’t see yet who our counterparts in the US will be,” Lakkotrypis said.

He said that Cyprus could help boost the EU’s energy security and play a role in the EU Energy Union. “We’re discussing with the European Union a number of projects of common interest that will help us to ship the gas from Cyprus to Europe, involving Israel, involving Egypt, involving, of course, Greece, which is another member state,” Cyprus’ Energy Minister said.

Israel made NIS 3B in natural gas royalties in 2016, minister says - ISRAEL HAYOM

Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, Thursday

Friday February 3, 2017Shlomo Cesana

• A delegation from the Turkish Energy Ministry is expected to visit Israel next week for talks on a joint pipeline project, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz says

• Israel is pursuing a similar venture with Italy, in a project involving Greece and Cyprus.

Israel's royalties from the production of natural gas came to 3 billion shekels ($798 billion) in 2016, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said Thursday, during a media tour aboard the Atwood Advantage, an ultra-deepwater drill ship exploring the Tamar offshore gas field.

Atwood Advantage is one of the three largest vessels of its kind in the world. It is expected to finish its work in Tamar by April 2017 and move on to the development of the nearby Leviathan offshore gas field.

Naval patrol boat gift from Oman 'too big' for Cyprus naval bases - SKY NEWS

The patrol boat is en route to Cyprus (photo: Phileleftheros)

UK, Friday 03 February 2017, 13:11

The island nation is looking at extending its military maritime facilities to provide a berth for the 200ft vessel.

A patrol boat given as a gift to Cyprus by Oman is too big to dock at the island's main naval base, according to reports.

Instead the 61m (200ft) boat - Cyprus' first open sea vessel - will have to moor at the civilian ports of either Limassol or Larnaca when it arrives next week, said the Phileleftheros newspaper.

Oman paid for a £3.4m refit of the boat, which weighs 948 tonnes and has a top speed of 15 knots.

It was given as a 'thank you' for the warm welcome the Oman defence minister received when he visited the island in November 2013.

The vessel, due to arrive at the island next week, is being crewed by Omani and Cypriot officers during its voyage to the island so that sailors from the sultanate can train the new crew.

A second craft, bought from Israel, is expected to be added to the modest Cypriot navy in December.

Egypt to import 43-45 LNG cargoes in deal with Oman, Russia and France - AL ARABIYA / REUTERS

Thursday, 2 February 2017 KSA 16:56 - GMT 13:56

Egypt has reached an agreement to import between 43 and 45 cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Oman, Russia and France from March through to the end of 2017, the head of state gas company EGAS said on Thursday.

The agreements include terms that allow for payment within six months, EGAS head Mohamed al-Masry said.

Masry added that Egypt will become a gas exporter once it reaches self-suffiency, expected during 2019.

Energean Appoints TechnipFMC as Concept and Engineering Design Contractor for Karish and Tanin FPSO, Israel - ENERGEAN OIL & GAS

February 2, 2017

Energean Oil & Gas (“Energean” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce that it has appointed TechnipFMC as the Concept and Front End Engineering Design (FEED) contractor for the Karish and Tanin development programme. This follows Energean’s recent decision to develop the Fields using a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (“FPSO”) unit to facilitate the quickest route to market in line with the Government of Israel’s gas strategy.

TechnipFMC is a global leader in oil and gas subsea, onshore/offshore and surface contracting. It has highly relevant experience in deep water development programmes analogous to Karish and Tanin, and has delivered some of the largest FPSO units in the world including the Akpo, Nkossa, Girassol and Dalia fields. Its broader subsea capabilities mean that it is well placed to design and configure a fully integrated infrastructure for the Karish and Tanin projects.

Israel producing record electricity from gas electricity - GLOBES

2 Feb, 2017 15:15
Nati Yefet

8,258 megawatts out of 11,936 megawatts were produced by gas-driven turbines.

A new record in gas-produced electricity has been set: 69% of all electricity produced in Israel. The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) (TASE: ELEC.B22) reported that it had measured electricity production yesterday at 11,936 megawatts, of which 8,258 megawatts had been produced by gas-driven turbines, and the rest using coal and other sources.

IEC's own production totaled 8,592 megawatts, 72.5% of the total, while private producers used gas to produce 2,268 megawatts.

Greece says wraps up talks with Total-led venture for offshore gas drilling - KATHIMERINI / REUTERS

Wednesday February 1, 2017

Greece has concluded talks with a consortium led by France's Total for deep sea gas exploration in one block in western Greece, its energy minister, Giorgos Stathakis, said on Wednesday, taking the two sides closer to signing a deal.

In October, Greece named a consortium of France's Total, its biggest oil refiner Hellenic Petroleum, and Italy's Edison as the preferred bidder for the offshore gas drilling block in the Ionian Sea.

The Total-led consortium has bid for one block in the Ionian. Hellenic Petroleum has bid independently for two other blocks in the same region.

Hellenic Petroleum in a venture with Edison, and Energean Oil, Greece's only oil producer, is already searching for oil in three onshore and offshore blocks in western Greece. 

TAP gas pipeline can gauge customer interest in capacity: executives - REUTERS

Wed Feb 1, 2017 | 11:26am EST

Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou and Karolina Tagaris. Editing by Jane Merriman

The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) that will take gas from Azerbaijan to Europe is in a position to offer capacity on the line via so-called "open seasons" to gauge interest among potential customers, senior TAP executives said on Wednesday.

The 870-km (540-mile) pipeline will link Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz II field with Italy, crossing through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea. It is the largest attempt so far to bring new supply sources to European consumers.

Around 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year of Azeri gas should reach Europe by 2020 through TAP as well as the South Caucasus Pipeline through Georgia and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) through Turkey.

"We have prepared the ground for 200 kilometers out of a total of 550 kilometers that the Greek section will run," Rikard Scoufias, TAP's country manager for Greece, said on the sidelines of an energy forum in Athens. "We are on track."

TAP can offer capacity via "open seasons" in line with European legislation, its commercial and external affairs director Ulrike Andres said.

Egyptian delegation to visit Iraq in February to finalize agreement on crude imports - EGYPT INDEPENDENT / REUTERS

Tue, 31/01/2017 - 14:32

A delegation from the Petroleum Ministry will visit Iraq this February to finalize the draft agreement to import crude oil, minister Tarek el-Molla said on Tuesday.

Egypt aims to import 1-2 million barrels per month from Iraq.

"It’s expected the deal will be concluded during the first quarter [of the year]," Molla said.

The move follows Saudi Arabia informing Egypt in November that shipments of oil products expected under a $23 billion aid deal had been halted indefinitely.

Egypt has gone from exporting energy to being a net energy importer as domestic output has failed to keep pace with rising demand. The government is seeking alternative solutions to help the country cope.

LNG stations to be established in Turkey - DAILY SABAH

30.1.2017

The Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) has taken an important step after Turkey's first floating liquefied natural gas plant, a visionary project headed by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak, was put into use in İzmir's Aliağa district. The EPDK decided to establish LNG stations following a regulatory amendment. Particularly in trucks and buses, the use of LNG, which is the application area, is being promoted to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and encourage environmentally friendly transportation.

In line with the board decision taken by the EPDK, the Natural Gas Market License Regulation will be amended. Wholesale license holders with LNG stations will be able to carry out the sale of LNG for use as fuel in road vehicles at the facilities they establish at a certain addresses. In this way, only license holders will be able to sell LNG at the facilities that are subject to their licenses. Other wholesale companies selling natural gas throughout the country are obliged to take separate licenses if they want to sell LNG used as fuel for road vehicles. The LNG, which is a field of application primarily in vehicles such as trucks and buses, is not used for small vehicles since it is not suitable for storage. With the new regulation, the use of natural gas will be extended and the emission of carbon dioxide will be reduced to promote environmentally friendly transportation.

Leumi Capital Markets sees Leviathan stage 2 delay - GLOBES

30 Jan, 2017 12:50
Kobi Yeshayahou

Leumi Capital Markets has downgraded Avner, Delek Drilling, and Isramco, but upgraded Ratio.
Leumi Capital Markets has downgraded its recommendations for Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L), Delek Drilling Limited Partnership (TASE: DEDR.L), and Isramco Negev 2 LP (TASE: ISRA.L). Leumi Capital Markets senior gas and energy analyst Ella Fried has lowered her recommendation for these three partnerships from "market outperform" to "market perform," while upgrading her recommendation for Ratio Oil Exploration (1992) LP (TASE:RATI.L) from "market perform" to "market outperform."

In her review, Fried notes that the main reason for the change is "the lower likelihood that we are assigning at this stage to an extra 25% in exports during the initial phase of development in the Leviathan natural gas reservoir and a two-year delay in the second stage in our working assumptions."

Lebanon – a new frontier for hydrocarbons - FINANCIAL TIMES

30.1.2017
Niazi Kabalan, Pinsent Masons

After a three year hiatus, Lebanon has approved two crucial decrees required to relaunch the country’s first offshore energy licensing round. The Lebanese authorities are preparing a road map to resume a stalled plan to allow global oil companies to explore for hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean country.

The hotly anticipated licence round signals a new era for Lebanese oil and gas which has been thwarted by delays after a political stalemate put the brakes on a planned launch in 2013, despite the licensing round having attracted super majors and oil companies from around the globe.

While news of the refreshed tender process is turning the heads of the global oil industry, the mood music is one of cautious optimism as companies demand the promise of a stable and fiscally attractive petroleum regime before signing on the dotted line. Indeed, oil price fluctuations mean investment decisions are not made lightly; with new licensing rounds planned elsewhere in the region, such as in Cyprus, Oman, Iran and Iraq, Lebanon must act fast to compete for investment.

Oil Ministry studies refining Iraqi crude at MIDOR - ENTERPRISE / AL MAL

Monday, 30 January 2017

The Oil Ministry is studying refining Iraqi crude at the Middle East Oil Refinery (MIDOR), unnamed sources tell Al Mal. MIDOR is seen as the most capable of refining Iraqi crude, but the refinery is currently running at full capacity, the source added. If capacity is not freed at MIDOR, sources say other options include refining at the Amreya Petroleum Refining Company or the Alexandria Petroleum Company. 

Iraqi crude, which is scheduled to arrive between February and March, can provide 9-10% of domestic demand for refined petroleum products, the source added. Egypt is set to import 1 mn bbl of crude from Iraq each month.

Greek Firm in $380m Libya Deal - LIBYA BUSINESS NEWS

January 28, 2017

Greek company METKA has announced that it has concluded an agreement with the General Authority for Electricity and Renewable Energy of Libya (GAEREL) to carry out the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a new power plant in Tobruk, Libya. The agreement was made in Athens on 25 January 2017.

The project, with total output of more than 500MW, includes the supply and installation of 3 General Electric GT13E2 gas turbines in open cycle configuration, together with all associated balance of plant equipment and a 220/66kV substation. The contract value for METKA amounts to $380 million.

The contract is subject to final approval from the responsible state authorities in Libya, and will only become effective upon opening of an irrevocable letter of credit confirmed by 1st class international bank.

Oil Ministry approves USD 8 bn strategy to develop petrochemicals sector - ENTERPRISE / AL MAL

Sunday, 29 January 2017

The Oil Ministry has approved a USD 8 bn strategy to develop refining facilities and the petrochemicals sector, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla told Al Mal. 

The strategy aims to upgrade machinery at existing facilities to maximize production, and build several new projects in Cairo, Alexandria, Assiut, and Suez, he added.