Saturday, December 1, 2018

East Mediterranean partnership signals an energy revolution - JERUSALEM POST

Tsipras (L), Netanyahu (R)
DECEMBER 1, 2018 22:24
EMMANUEL NAVON 

Natural gas has turned Greece from a rival to an ally just as relations between Israel and Turkey started deteriorating.

The announcement in November that Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy have agreed to build a natural gas pipeline (the longest in the world) from Israel’s offshore gas fields to Europe, clearly indicates that Israel has chosen the Greek option over the Turkish one. In the past, Israel had considered a pipeline to Europe via Turkey, but the idea was dropped in favor of the Greek option. Building a natural gas pipeline via Turkey would have been cheaper and more viable economically, but it became politically unfeasible due to Turkey’s hostile policy toward Israel, Cyprus and Greece.

Natural gas has turned Greece from a rival to an ally just as relations between Israel and Turkey started deteriorating. Israel discovered the huge Leviathan gas field in 2009, shortly before the 2010 MV Marmara incident, which contributed to the rift between Israel and Turkey. In 2010, Benjamin Netanyahu became the first sitting Israeli prime minister to visit Greece, and the Israeli and Greek air forces started their first joint military exercises. In September 2011, Israel and Greece signed a security cooperation agreement. Israel now uses Greek airspace for training purposes.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

ExxonMobil Commences Drilling Despite Turkey's Verbal Threats - FORBES

Nov 29, 2018, 11:54am
Antonis Antoniou

ExxonMobil XOM +0.56% continues its exploratory offshore drilling in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and — contrary to the Cypriot government’s fears — no Turkish ships appeared on the horizon.

Drillship Stena IceMax entered Block 10 of Cyprus’ EEZ and began drilling a couple of days ago. So far, there has been no actual response from Turkey, even though the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said that it would “react” to any kind of exploration activity in the Cypriot EEZ.

Turkey has vocally laid claim to parts of Cyprus’ EEZ and even though Block 10 does not fall within one of those areas, Turkey has nevertheless repeatedly warned (or, perhaps, threatened?) that it would react in order to protect the rights of Turkish Cypriots.

But there has been no action by Turkey so far to prevent ExxonMobil’s exploration effort.

Ministers of Energy, Foreign Affairs, US ambassador and ExxonMobil VP visit Stena Icemax - CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

.NICOSIA 29/11/2018 17:56
Gregoris Savva

Ministers of Energy, Foreign Affairs, Georgios Lakkotrypis and Nicos Christodoulides, Kathleen Doherty, the US Ambassador to Cyprus, and ExxonMobil’s Vice President Tristan Aspray visited earlier today the drillship that carries out an exploratory drilling at the Deflini target in block 10 of Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone on behalf of the ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum.

The exploratory deep-water drilling began on November 16 and is expected to be concluded by the end of the year.

Sources told CNA that during their visit to Stena Icemax, the two Ministers accompanied by Doherty, Aspray and other officials toured the drill ship's various installations and talked to the captain and crew as well as to the technical crew associated with the drilling.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Bulgaria eyes stake in planned LNG terminal in Alexandroupoli - KATHIMERINI

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2018, 09:22

Sofia plans to take a minority stake in a liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal near Greece’s northern city of Alexandroupoli, Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova has said, according to reports.

In comments made earlier this week, Petkova reportedly said that LNG offers Bulgaria an opportunity for further diversification of natural gas supplies, on top of the one billion cubic metres of gas from Azerbaijan, for which the Balkan state signed a contract several years ago.

“When we talk about the Greece-Bulgaria [gas] inter-connector, we must note the importance of another opportunity for diversification of gas deliveries and that is our participation in the Alexandroupoli terminal,” Petkova was quoted by the Independent Balkan News Agency (IBNA) as saying.

“It is a project of extreme importance to the entire region. It is in full synergy with the Greece-Bulgaria inter-connector and that is why the Bulgarian government discussed the prospect and took the decision to participate in this project as a shareholder, so that we have the opportunity for gas deliveries from various LNG sources, including the US, Qatar and Algeria,” she said, according to the report.

The TurkStream Opportunity - CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

November 28, 2018
Nikos Tsafos

As the battle for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project continues, the offshore section of the TurkStream gas pipeline, from Russia to Turkey, was inaugurated on Monday, November 19. Two broadly similar projects have triggered sharply different responses—no one is threatening sanctions over TurkStream, there are no grand legal or diplomatic chess moves to stop the project, and the op-eds and conferences denouncing the project are few and far between. That is good news—no one needs more Nord Stream 2-like controversy. But it is also good news because TurkStream can enhance energy security; but only if Europe acts. For a continent bitterly—and, often, needlessly— divided by pipelines, TurkStream offers an opportunity to depoliticize gas and show that new infrastructure can be a win-win for Russia and Europe.

TurkStream will have two parallel lines: the first to deliver gas to Turkey, the second for onward sale to Europe (although markets will determine the actual volume split). Like other Russian pipelines, the short-term impact will be to change how Russian gas is sent to Europe: rather than flowing through Ukraine, Russian gas will be shipped straight to Turkey and, later, Europe through the Black Sea. Over time, as Russian exports grow, the pipeline will be delivering new gas rather than acting purely as a substitute route. This evolution takes time: gas transit through Ukraine fell by approximately 40 percent between 2011 and 2014, after the Nord Stream 1 pipeline came online, but it had largely recovered by 2017 (2017 volumes were about 10 percent lower than 2011).

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

EastMed gas pipeline must overcome major barriers - GLOBES

27 Nov, 2018 12:37
Gabriel Mitchell

Governments may be enthusiastic about the idea of an underwater pipeline linking Israel to Europe, but it is unclear how the financial and engineering challenges can be met.

Israel's Minister of National infrastructures Energy and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz has announced that the governments of Israel, Greece, Cyprus, and Italy have reached an agreement to build a pipeline that would transport Israeli natural gas to the European market. Diplomatic cooperation is a necessary component to realizing large-scale, multinational energy projects, but there is a point in every process where politicians need to step aside and make room for the entrepreneurs, corporations, and engineers who will determine the commercial and technical feasibility of this vision.

Israel, Cyprus, and Greece have demonstrated an enduring interest in collaborating on an ambitious undersea pipeline that would deliver Israeli and Cypriot gas to Europe. Since 2011, heads of state from these three East Mediterranean states have met on a regular basis and signed MOUs pledging future energy cooperation (in addition to other areas), if and when the climate is right. Italy's deepening participation in these dialogues only adds to the general sense of enthusiasm surrounding the appropriately named "EastMed pipeline".

Neither consensus between multiple governments nor the European Union's commitment of $100 million in a feasibility study - a number that sounds significant, but in comparison to the estimated $7 billion pipeline costs, is a drop in the ocean - promises that this vision will become reality. After all, the average Israeli family invests a larger percentage as a down payment for an apartment.

Monday, November 26, 2018

ENERGY: Total and ENI seek to expand Cyprus oil & gas search - FINANCIAL MIRROR

26 November, 2018

Energy giants Total and Eni have submitted a joint bid for another license to explore and exploit oil and gas offshore Cyprus despite warnings from Turkey, Cypriot authorities said Monday.

In October, Cyprus decided to invite France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and ExxonMobil to bid for unclaimed block 7 of its exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

“An application was received on November 26, as part of the procedure for a Hydrocarbon Exploration License for Block 7, by Total / Eni,” said a Cyprus Energy Ministry statement on Monday.

“In the coming days, the application will be examined by the Advisory Committee, which will prepare an Introductory Report for the Minister for Energy. Subsequently, the Minister will present a proposal to the Council of Ministers, where the relevant decisions will be taken,” it added.

Last month, Cypriot Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis said that, due to its geology, firms have expressed an interest in block 7 and so it was decided to invite companies, that already have licences in neighbouring offshore blocks, to express an interest.