Egypt's Zohr gas field capacity to reach 2 bcfd by September: Italy's Eni - AHRAM ONLINE / REUTERS

Friday 27 Jul 2018

Italian oil company Eni said on Friday that the production capacity of Egypt’s giant Mediterranean Zohr gas field stood at 1.6 billion cubic feet (bcfd) and would reach 2 billion bcfd by September.

Eni raised 50 million euros ($58 million) as an advance on future gas supplies to Egyptian state-owned partners to finance Zohr, the statement added.

Zohr, located in the offshore Shorouk block about 190 km north of Port Said, was discovered in 2015 and holds an estimated 30 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Production from the giant offhore Zohr field started in December 2017.

In April, Eni said Zohr had a reached capacity of 800 MMSCFD, or 150,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day.

The company said production increases are set to continue in order to reach 1.2 bcfd last May, 2 bcfd by end 2018, finally plateauing at 2.7 BCFD in 2019.

Egypt has been seeking to speed up production from recently discovered fields, with an eye to halting imports by 2019.

Maloney Praises NDAA Provision Holding Turkey Accountable for Its Aggressions - US CONGRESS

Jul 27, 2018
Press Release

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), co-chair and co-founder of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, released the following statement after the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 which includes provisions holding Turkey accountable for its aggressions. The Congresswoman represents one of the largest communities of Hellenic Americans in the country.

“I am glad to see that the NDAA conferees agreed that the immediate transfer of F-35s to Turkey should be paused and reassessed. I have joined many colleagues in opposing this transfer.

“There are numerous examples of Turkey’s persistent aggression and destabilizing activity in the Eastern Mediterranean today. Turkey must be held accountable by the U.S. for its provocative behavior that threatens our allies. Turkey continues to intimidate and interfere with the companies operating in Cyprus’s Exclusive Economic Zone to explore and extract natural gas in violation of Cyprus’s sovereign claims to its territory. I am pleased that the United States is making clear that we stand with our allies and that Turkey’s unacceptable behavior needs to stop.”

Washington backs Cyprus's EEZ rights - KATHIMERINI

FRIDAY JULY 27, 2018, 21:55

US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis Fannon expressed Washington’s support Friday for Cyprus’s right to exploit the natural resources within its own exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Turkey has warned that it will not allow Cyprus to drill for and exploit gas reserves in its EEZ unless Turkish Cypriots in the island’s Turkish-occupied north are included in the project.

Fannon met in Athens with Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis and government officials and conveyed Washington’s plaudits for Greece’s efforts to become an energy transit hub with its participation in the South Stream and the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) pipelines.

Israel Stays Mum as Development Work Begins at Giant Cyprus Gas Field - HAARETZ

Jul 24, 2018 10:49 PM
Ora Coren

Countries have failed to agree on rights of license holders in adjacent Israeli field, but Aphrodite partners begin development anyway

After years of delays, development of Cyprus’ Aphrodite gas field is getting under way without any Israeli government role, even though part of Aphrodite’s reservoir lies in Israeli economic waters and is licensed by the government for development.

Critics say Israel’s inaction jeopardizes not only 3 billion shekels ($820 million) in future tax revenues but also its ability to guarantee its stakes in other reservoirs shared with neighboring countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“It’s not clear, to say the least, why the government is acting this way, in particular the inexplicable ease with which it could cause a loss of 3 billion shekels in taxes,” said Rony Halman, the chairman of Israel Opportunity, a partner in the Ishai field adjacent to Aphrodite.

“The inaction of the Israeli government also threatens to create a dangerous precedent in connection with other joint reservoirs we have with our neighbors — Lebanon and Egypt,” Halman told TheMarker.

Cyprus vows to safeguard ExxonMobil offshore oil and gas search - OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

23 JULY 2018
Talal Husseini

Cypriot Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis has announced that the government will do everything necessary to ensure ExxonMobil’s offshore oil and gas search runs smoothly, despite threats from Turkey.

The US oil giant, together with Qatar Petroleum, holds an exploration licence for Block 10 located in the south-west of Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Lakkotrypis added that the dispute with Turkey should not hinder the government’s energy programme.

He said: “The procedures for Exxon to obtain the necessary permits are proceeding as planned and two wells will be carried out in Q4. What’s important is that we progress according to our timeframe and planning.”

Asked whether the US Air Force will be deployed to monitor ExxonMobil’s drilling activity, as reported in Cyprus’s largest daily newspaper the Phileleftheros, he added: “We take all necessary measures so that the two drills will proceed without any unforeseen developments. That is why you see that we are diplomatically more active as the time for these drills gets closer.”

SDX Hits Gas Onshore Egypt - RIGZONE

Monday, July 23, 2018
Andreas Exarheas

North Africa focused oil and gas company, SDX Energy Inc., announced Monday that a gas discovery has been made at its onshore SD-3X well, in Egypt’s South Disouq Concession.

The well was drilled to a total depth of 7,842 feet and encountered 32.6 feet of net conventional natural gas pay in the Abu Madi and Kafr el Sheik horizons, SDX said in a company statement. SD-3X will now be completed as a producer in the Abu Madi horizon and then tested after the drilling rig has moved off location.

“The discovery of gas in both the Abu Madi and Kafr el Sheik horizons is a very positive outcome for the SD-3X well,” Paul Welch, president and CEO of SDX, said in a company statement.

“We will now analyze the data from all four wells drilled in the South Disouq campaign, as well as reprocessing and inverting the existing 3D seismic we have on the concession. Upon interpretation of this data, and completion of the new 3D survey later this year, we expect to identify further Abu Madi and Kafr el Sheik prospectivity for drilling in 2019 and 2020,” he added.

All necessary measures being taken for Exxon drilling, minister says - CYPRUS MAIL

JULY 22, 2018 

Cyprus is taking all necessary measures to ensure that US energy giant, ExxonMobil’s exploratory programme in the island’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) proceeds smoothly, Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said on Sunday.

He also reiterated that developments on the Cyprus problem should not affect the country’s energy programme.

ExxonMobil, which along with Qatar Petroleum has been awarded the exploration licence in block 10, will carry out two exploration wells in the fourth quarter 2018, Lakkotrypis said, speaking to the press in Larnaca.

“The procedures for Exxon to obtain the necessary licences are proceeding as planned and two wells will be carried out in Q4,” he said.

Lakkotrypis did not elaborate on the licences which the company should obtain.