Egypt's Zohr: Towards self-sufficiency in gas? - AHRAM ONLINE

Friday 5 Jan 2018
Amany Ismail

Egypt’s Zohr Field, the largest offshore natural gas field in the Mediterranean, started production on 16 December. It could prove to be a permanent remedy to Egypt’s power needs and bring it closer to the goal of self-sufficiency in the energy sector in 2018.

Saudi Aramco shows interest to do business in Cypriot EEZ - CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

04/01/2018 10:36 

CNA - CYPRUS/Nicosia

Saudi Arabian oil company Saudi Aramco has expressed interest to do business in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone, according to a PIO press release.

It is noted that on the sidelines of President Anastasiades’ official visit to Saudi Arabia, Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis held contacts with officials of the Saudi Ministries of Energy and Tourism as well as with officials of Saudi Aramco, a worldwide giant on oil.

According to PIO, during the meeting , the Saudi Aramco representatives expressed interest to do business in Cyprus' EEZ, mainly because of the stability of Cyprus as an EU member state as well as its geology and perspectives as an energy centre.

Cypriot Energy Minister meets Saudi Aramco - LAKKOTRYPIS TWITTER ACCOUNT

Saudi Aramco's President & CEO Amin H. Nasser (left) with Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, Cypriot Energy Minister (right)

Lakkotrypis' tweet (3/JAN/2018: Excellent meeting with @Saudi_Aramco President & CEO Amin H. Nasser. Very pleased to discuss #Saudi interest in #Cyprus #EEZ and our region.

Cabinet approves India-Israel MoU to boost oil and gas sector - OUTLOOK INDIA

03 JANUARY 2018 Last Updated at 4:14 PM

New Delhi [India] - The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Israel on cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

The MoU is expected to provide an impetus to India - Israel ties in the energy sector.

The cooperation envisaged under the agreement will facilitate promotion of investments in the two countries, technology transfer, R&D, conducting joint studies, capacity building of human resources and collaboration in the area of startups.

Oil Ministry to issue oil and gas exploration tenders for Red Sea concessions soon - ENTERPRISE

Tuesday, 2 January 2018

The Oil Ministry is preparing to sign 12 new oil agreements with a combined investment value of at least USD 433 mn, Minister Tarek El Molla said yesterday, Al Masry Al Youm reports. 

The ministry is also gearing up to issue the first international tenders for oil and gas exploration along Egypt’s Red Sea border with Saudi Arabia. 

The tenders are contingent on geological scans in the area, which industry sources had previously said should be complete sometime in 1H2018.

Jordan allocates initial $2 million for joint pipeline project with Israel - MIDDLE EAST MONITOR

January 2, 2018 at 3:07 am

The gas will mostly be coming from the offshore Leviathan natural gas field, being developed off the coast of Haifa

Jordan has allocated 1.5 million dinars (around $2.1 million) in the 2018 national budget for a gas pipeline linking the Hashemite Kingdom with Israel. According to Al-Ghad newspaper on Sunday, the cost of the joint Jordanian-Israeli project is expected to rise to 3 million dinars ($4.2 million) in 2019, and to 6 million dinars ($8.5 million) by 2020. The pipeline will pass over the Sheikh Hussein border crossing, 90 km from Amman.

In September 2016, Jordan’s government-owned National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) and Noble Energy signed an agreement to import 40 per cent of the Kingdom’s electricity-generating needs from Israel. Noble Energy owns 39 per cent of the Leviathan natural gas field in Israeli territorial waters.

Y. Lakkotrypis: The next 12 months will be defining for natural gas - PHILELEFTHEROS

Lakkotrypis, Cypriot Energy Minister (left)

1 January 2018, 1:10 pm 

Andreas Pimbishis

Note: Please use Google translation tool (right click anywhere on the Greek text) for this interview in Greek of Cypriot Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis by Cypriot daily 'The Liberal / Phileleftheros'.


Γ.Λακκοτρύπης: Καθοριστικοί οι επόμενοι 12 μήνες για ΦΑ - ΦΙΛΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΣ

Οι επόμενοι 12 μήνες και οι γεωτρήσεις που θα γίνουν μέχρι το τέλος του 2018 θα καθορίσουν το τοπίο σ’ ό,τι αφορά στις επιλογές που έχει η Κύπρος για εκμετάλλευση του φυσικού αερίου. Σύμφωνα με τον υπουργό Ενέργειας, Γιώργο Λακκοτρύπη, «σήμερα έχουμε επιβεβαιωμένες ποσότητες ΦΑ 4.5 TCF (μέσος όρος).

Με αυτές τις ποσότητες η βέλτιστη επιλογή για εκμετάλλευση του ΦΑ είναι να το κατευθύνουμε με υποθαλάσσιο αγωγό προς την Αίγυπτο, εκεί να υγροποιηθεί σε ένα από τα δύο τερματικά της χώρας και να διοχετευθεί στις αγορές, πρωτίστως της Ευρώπης, με πλοία». Ξεκαθάρισε πως το Τερματικό Υγροποίησης είναι στις κορυφαίες μας προτεραιότητες, όπως έχει επανειλημμένα λεχθεί.

Ο Γ. Λακκοτρύπης αποκαλύπτει πως έχουν μελετηθεί 16 σενάρια για τις επόμενες γεωτρήσεις τα οποία κυμαίνονται από το χειρότερο, που είναι να μην υπάρξει άλλη ανακάλυψη πέραν του «Αφροδίτη» μέχρι και το καλύτερο που είναι ανακάλυψη φυσικού αερίου και στις τέσσερις γεωτρήσεις.

Israeli pipeline, once a link to Iran, will remain a mystery - REUTERS

DECEMBER 31, 2017 / 2:50 PMReporting by Ari Rabinovitch, editing by Larry King

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An oil pipeline company established decades ago by Israel and Iran, and a new Israeli company that is meant to replace it, can continue to operate secretly, an Israeli parliamentary committee ruled on Sunday.

The Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Co (EAPC) was a joint venture set up in 1968, when the two nations were friendly, to transport Iranian oil via Israel to the Mediterranean. Ties were cut after Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, and the enemies are now locked in arbitration that could be worth billions of dollars.