Despite pollution fears, gas flow begins from behemoth Leviathan field - THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

The Environmental Protection Ministry said Monday that Noble Energy and its partners had met all the necessary conditions to begin pumping gas, paving the way for the rigs to begin extracting the estimated 22 trillion cubic feet of gas trapped underground.

Early Tuesday morning Noble began a gas rig test that is necessary ahead of starting operations, and later that morning the partners in Leviathan announced the start of natural gas production from the reservoir, the largest energy project in Israel’s history.

The first gas will reach Israel’s shores via the pipes within 24 to 48 hours from the start of production, the companies estimated.

Exxon Mobil secures large exploration position offshore Egypt - HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Dec. 30, 2019
Jordan Blum

Exxon Mobil said Monday it secured a large exploration position offshore of Egypt as the United States' largest energy player expands its role in developing oil and gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Exxon Mobil, which made a large natural gas discovery offshore of Cyprus 10 months ago, now plans to grow nearby in Egypt's territorial waters. Exxon also has discussed exploring offshore of Israel.

"These (acreage) awards strengthen our exploration portfolio in the Eastern Mediterranean," said Mike Cousins, Exxon's senior vice president of exploration and new ventures. "We look forward to working with the government and deploying our proven expertise and advanced technology."

Electrical equipment of Israel-Jordan gas line torched - THE JERUSALEM POST

DECEMBER 29, 2019 10:31
Tzvi Joffre

Two electrical transformers servicing a gas transfer station intended to transport gas from the Leviathan natural gas field in Israel into Jordan were torched by unidentified people in Irbid in northern Jordan on Saturday.

According to Sky News Arabia, this is not the first attack against the gas transfer station in Irbid. Gas flow through the station is expected to start in the next few days.

Jordanian citizens and politicians have expressed protest to the planned transfer of gas between the two nations.

On Sunday, Jordan's parliament filed an urgent memo, requesting that a law be drafted to ban the import of gas from Israel, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Dozens of activists held a protest in front of the parliament, calling for a cancellation of the gas trade deal.

Will Leviathan cut energy prices, increase competition? - GLOBES

23 Dec, 2019 19:30
Amiram Barkat and Yuval Azulai

Gas is about to begin flowing from the huge offshore Israeli gas field, on time and within budget. But will it benefit Israeli consumers?

The Leviathan natural gas field is set to begin streaming gas to the Israeli coast tomorrow, an event that the government and the reservoir's developers are calling historic. Almost six years since the Tamar field was connected, Leviathan will become the second major gas field connected to the Israeli coast. Nine years have passed since the discovery of the gas and the beginning of the supply, compared with only three years for the Tamar field.

Most of the gas that will begin flowing tomorrow is for exports to the Jordan Electric Power Company, and in another month also to private customers in Egypt. Commencing in another week, gas will also flow to the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC). The fact that residents near the coastal terminal will be exposed to potential health damage caused by gas, most of which is for export, is arousing criticism from residents in the Hadera region. However, the flow of gas to Jordan and Egypt has been portrayed by the Netanyahu government as an important geopolitical and political interest. In the name of this interest, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bypassed the authority of the Israel Antitrust Authority director general at the time, and signed in his place, as Minister of the Economy and Industry (after Aryeh Deri, the previous minister, resigned) an exemption for an agreement in restraint of trade for Noble Energy and Delek Group, for the deal to buy the rights to area where the Leviathan reservoir is located.

Netanyahu's signature on the exemption was part of the general arrangement for the gas production sector, referred to as the gas plan. The plan aroused strong opposition at the time, involving the assertion that the state was perpetuating the monopoly of Delek Group and Noble Energy in the Israeli gas market, and forcing electricity consumers to continue paying the excessive gas price that IEC agreed to pay for the gas it was buying from the Tamar reservoir. Netanyahu stood firm against the protest with unqualified support for the plan devised by the professional staff in his government. In an extraordinary step, Netanyahu appeared before the Knesset Economic Committee and the Supreme Court justices to defend the gas plan. They were not impressed by his appearance, and struck down the all-encompassing stability clause in the original plan.

Completion of Leviathan's development is an appropriate time to assess what the gas plan achieved since it went into effect, and where it has failed.

American chambers of Greece, Cyprus, Israel hail Trump’s signing of EastMed Act - KATHIMERINI

FRIDAY DECEMBER 27, 2019 / 18:22

The American chambers of commerce in Greece, Cyprus and Israel have issued a joint statement hailing US President Donald Trump’s signing of the EastMed Act as a step toward promoting security and energy partnerships in the region.

“On the 20th of December, President Trump signed the EastMed Act to primarily promote security and energy partnerships in the Eastern Mediterranean. This Act, otherwise cited as the ‘Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019,’ exhibits the historic metamorphosis in United States foreign policy in the Eastern Mediterranean, reflecting to a great extent the strategic view and principle that the security of partners and allies in the Eastern Mediterranean region is critical to the security of the United States and Europe,” the joint statement said.

“Through the Act, the United States commits to continue robust official strategic engagement with Israel, Greece and Cyprus and to actively participate in the trilateral dialogue on energy, maritime security, cybersecurity and protection of critical infrastructure conducted among the three countries,” the statement said.

3rd well of Baltim SouthWest field added on production in January - EGYPT TODAY

Tue, Dec. 24, 2019

CAIRO – 24 December 2019: "The third well of the Baltim southwest field is planned to be added on production in January," Sources in the petroleum sector told Egypt Today Tuesday.

The Ministry of Petroleum announced in November adding the exploration wells, Baltim southwest 1 and Baltim southwest 2, in the Nile Delta region on the production map at production rates of about 190 million cubic feet of gas per day and about 1,300 barrels condensate per day.

In September, Eni announced the success of starting up production from the offshore Baltim South West gas field in Egypt after being discovered in June 2016.

The field is located in shallow waters 12 kilometers off the Mediterranean coast of Egypt in the Baltim South development lease. It lies 10km from the Nooros field, but still within the Great Nooros area.

The project is executed by Petrobel, the operating company jointly held by Eni and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) on behalf of Medgas.

Cyprus, Greece and Israel to Sign Pipeline Deal in Early January - HAARETZ

Dec 23, 2019 8:11 PM

The leaders of Cyprus, Greece and Israel plan to sign an agreement January 2 for building an undersea pipeline to bring Israeli and Cypriot natural gas to the European market, the Greek prime minister’s office announced Sunday.

The agreement, which will be signed in Athens by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will be largely symbolic – aimed at helping Cyprus and Greece to confront Turkey over maritime rights.

The announcement of the pipeline agreement comes on the heels of an agreement signed last week between Turkey and Libya delineating exclusive economic zones in the Mediterranean Sea that awards Turkey the areas where the projected pipeline is slated to run.

The agreement has elicited protests from eastern Mediterranean countries with gas interests, including Egypt. On Monday, Netanyahu said in a letter to the Greek and Cypriot leaders that the “the gas agreement between Turkey and Libya is not legal – we need to respond and sign the gas pipeline agreement.”

Egypt to begin gas imports from Israel by mid-January 2020 - REUTERS

DECEMBER 22, 2019 / 12:46 PM

CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Egypt will begin importing natural gas from Israel by mid-January 2020, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israel Radio on Sunday.

“(The exports) will begin in the middle of next month and perhaps even earlier,” he said.

Israeli gas exports to Egypt will gradually reach 7 billion cubic meters, a senior industry source, who earlier in the day disclosed a mid-January starting date, said on condition of anonymity.

Steinitz said Egyptian petroleum minister Tarek El Molla had spoken to him two days ago and congratulated him on signing export permits for the gas.

Egyptian company Dolphinus Holdings reached a landmark deal last year with the Israeli companies operating the Israeli fields Leviathan and Tamar.

Eni finishes gas production test of Zohr field’s last well - DAILY NEWS EGYPT

Sunday December 22, 2019
Mohamed Adel

The Italian company Eni has completed the production test of the 14th and last well in the Zohr gas field in the deep waters of the Mediterranean, bringing the total production capacity of the field to about 3.2bn cubic feet per day (scf/day).

A source in the petroleum sector told Daily News Egypt that the current production capacity of the field is about 3bn scf/day, and will increase to 3.2bn after completing the implementation of the gas pipeline linking the field to the national grid in April.

He said that production has been reduced from the rest of the wells until the 14th well is tested, which has a production rate of 150-250m scf/day because the local market currently does not need any additional quantities of natural gas.

Sen. Menendez Says East Med Act Ties U.S., Greece, Cyprus Closer - THE NATIONAL HERALD

December 21, 2019

WASHINGTON – With Turkey claiming seas around Cyprus and Greek islands, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, lauded Congress’ approval of the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act he said has brought “a new day in Greek-American relations.”

He was a co-author of the measure and an ally of Greece and Cyprus during increasingly tense relations with Turkey, which is drilling for oil and gas off the island and wants to do the same off Greek islands.

Speaking to Greece’s state-run Athens-Macedonia News Agency (ANA-MPA) he said that, “I felt that we were in a moment in which the stars were aligned. I think there is a growing recognition of the importance of Greece and Cyprus along with Israel as a new strategy for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Energy firms try to end court order delaying Leviathan gas output - REUTERS

DECEMBER 18, 2019 / 12:12 PM

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Companies developing the huge natural gas field Leviathan will try to convince an Israeli court on Wednesday to remove an injunction that threatens to delay production due to environmental concerns.

On Tuesday, the Jerusalem District Court, in a surprise decision, issued a temporary order that barred any gas emissions from Leviathan, effectively putting the project, which was due to come on line this month, on hold.

It was unclear how long the delay would last. The companies, led by Texas-based Noble Energy and Israel’s Delek Drilling, have already signed major, multi-billion dollar export deals to Egypt and Jordan.

The hearing was moved up from the original date of Sunday.

Egypt Operational Update on Abu Sennan Concession - ROCKHOPPER EXPLORATION PLC

18 December 2019

Rockhopper Exploration plc (AIM: RKH), the oil and gas company with key interests in the North Falkland Basin and the Greater Mediterranean region, provides the following operational update in relation to the Abu Sennan concession, Egypt ("Abu Sennan"). Through Rockhopper Egypt Pty Limited, Rockhopper holds a 22% working interest in Abu Sennan.


ASH-2
The commitment well, ASH-2, was spudded on 21 October 2019, and reached total depth of 4,030m measured depth ("MD") in the Alam El Bueib Formation on 22 November 2019. The well was drilled as a vertical hole to appraise the Alam El Bueib reservoir to the WSW of the existing well ASH-1ST2, which currently produces 340 barrels of oil per day ("bopd"). Petrophysics indicate 50m of net oil pay in ASH-2. Modular formation Dynamic Tester ("MDT") pressure data indicates the reservoir is un-depleted, close to initial reservoir pressure. The well was completed, perforated and tested with the rig on site with encouraging results. The rig was released on 10 December 2019. The well will be tested at stabilised rates once the rig has moved off site.

Zohr continues to rise for Egypt - ENERGY VOICE

Tarek El-Molla visiting Zohr's onshore facilities 

16/DEC/2019, 9:09 am

Egypt’s Zohr field is producing at around 3 billion cubic feet (85 million cubic metres) per day, the country’s Ministry of Petroleum has said.

The production rate was disclosed during a visit to onshore facilities linked to the asset by Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Tarek El Molla, leading a parliamentary delegation. The statement from the ministry noted that Zohr, and other fields in the Mediterranean, had allowed Egypt to become once more self sufficient and return to exports.

El Molla had drawn attention to various stresses on the sector, including steadily increasing domestic demand and the need to develop infrastructure. Success had been driven by the ministry’s strategy, he continued, which had focused on drawing in more investment to the sector to bolster new reserves, while also supporting the development of discovered fields and domestic consumption in the use of gas, rather than oil products.

2020 ‘a year of gas drillings’ in Cyprus’ EEZ - IN-CYPRUS

December 15, 2019 at 11:44am
Edited by Bouli Hadjioannou

Nine gas drillings are planned in Cyprus’ EEZ in 2020 and early 2021, one more than the total number carried out over the period of January 2010 to December 2019 as Cyprus’ hydrocarbons exploration enters a period of maturity, Petros Theocharides writes for Phileleftheros on Sunday.

The agreement to develop the first gas reserve discovered, that of Aphrodite, shows that Cyprus has also entered the third stage – that of exploitation of hydrocarbons, the paper added.

So far there have been two gas drillings by Noble – Delek at the Aphrodite field in plot 12 – an exploratory one in 2011 and a confirmatory one in 2013 which showed that the quantities were lower than initially estimated.

Egypt’s petroleum consumption declines 8mln tonnes in four years - ZAWYA

13 DECEMBER, 2019

Cairo – Egypt’s domestic petroleum consumption has declined in four years, as a result of the implementation of reforms to the pricing structure of petroleum products, according to petroleum minister Tarek El Molla.

Domestic consumption was 31 million tonnes during the year 2018/2019, compared with 39 million tonnes in the year 2015/2016, El Molla said in a Thursday statement.

This came as a result of the state’s reform programme, which reduced petroleum imports to 12 million tonnes, from 16 million tonnes.

Over the past years, challenges lied mainly in the steady growth of domestic demand, higher value of subsidies, and the need to ramp infrastructure development spending.

The minister’s remarks came during a visit to Zohr field, accompanied by a parliamentary delegation, including energy and environment committee members and executives of petroleum companies.

Chinese-led consortium to build Cyprus’ gas import terminal - ASSOCIATED PRESS

13 December 2019

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus signed a deal on Friday with a Chinese-led consortium to build the east Mediterranean island nation’s first natural gas import terminal that officials said will help the country generate cleaner and cheaper energy.

Energy Minister Georgios Lakkotrypis said the 289 million-euro ($323 million) floating terminal will help reduce Cyprus’ carbon footprint from electricity generation by up to 30%.

The terminal is designed to convert imported liquefied gas back into gaseous form for use in Cyprus’ main power plant.

A consortium of China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering, Metron, Hudong-Zhongua Shipbuilding and Wilhelmsen Ship Management is expected to finish construction by early 2022.

The terminal that’s expected to be completed by early 2022 is to be built by a consortium of China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering, Metron, Hudong-Zhongua Shipbuilding and Wilhelmsen Ship Management.

Israel, Lebanon, and Failed Natural Gas Negotiations - FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

December 11, 2019

Leah Pedro

Over the past decade, there has been a gas revolution in the Eastern Mediterranean, where discoveries of large offshore gas deposits have set up some of the littoral states—notably Israel, Egypt and perhaps Cyprus—as potential significant players in the European natural gas market. This has led to the creation of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF), set up in Cairo this year, to facilitate cooperation among members—Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, and Palestine, with U.S. support. Lebanon has been late to join in the gas market and has not yet been able to join the EMGF, and Turkey has been excluded for contentious bilateral relationships among members. While there seems to be a chance that further gas deposits are located in Lebanese waters, further exploration and exploitation cannot take place near the Israeli and Lebanese marine border until the contested area is demarcated. The potential profits from oil exploration in the disputed area could bring in as much as US$600 billion over the next several decades. Economic and political possibilities would seem attractive enough to incentivize both sides toward finding common ground. Yet, negotiations to delimit the maritime boundary, set to begin late summer 2019, never came to fruition, and do not seem likely to begin any time soon.

Dispute with Israel will not affect development of Aphrodite, minister says - CYPRUS MAIL

December 9, 2019

Evie Andreou

The outcome of talks between Cyprus and Israel over a dispute regarding the offshore border with Israel’s Yishai gas field will not affect development of the island’s Aphrodite gas field, Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said on Monday.

“First, development of the Aphrodite reserve is going on as planned, and second, as regards the special agreement with Israel, there is a set procedure that is being followed for some time and will continue to be followed,” the minister said.

“But the most important thing I want to stress is that these two things, that is, the development of Aphrodite and the procedure for a special agreement, are not linked as far as the Cypriot side is concerned.”

Israel blocking Aphrodite gas field development - GLOBES

8 Dec, 2019 18:23
Amiram Barkat

Energy Ministry director general Udi Adiri has told Shell, Noble Energy and Delek Drilling they cannot develop the Cypriot reservoir until the border dispute with Israel's Yishai license is settled.

Israel is opposed to the development of Cyprus's Aphrodite offshore natural gas field until the dispute over the border with Israel's Yishai gas field is settled, Ministry of Energy director general Udi Adiri has made clear in a letter sent to the reservoir's rights owners Delek Drilling LP (TASE: DEDR.L), Noble Energy Inc. (NYSE: NBL) and Shell.

Adiri wrote to Delek Drilling CEO Yossi Abu, Noble Energy SVP Keith Elliot and Shell East Med GM Chris Breeze, "I wish to advise you that the State of Israel has not relinquished its share of the Aphrodite-Yishai natural gas reservoir, and has no intention of doing so."

Libya, Turkey demarcation MoUs hinder efforts to settle Libyan crisis, Shoukry says - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 8 December 2019

Libya and Turkey’s recently-signed border demarcation agreements will hinder efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis and negatively affect the Berlin political process, Foreign Ministry at the Rome Med 2019 – Mediterranean Dialogue on Friday. Shoukry also highlighted the establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, which does not include Turkey nor Libya, as a model for constructive cooperation among Mediterranean countries to serve the objectives of sustainable development. The agreements signed between Turkey and Libya could potentially infringe upon territorial waters claimed by Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece.

French FM backs Egypt: French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian separately called the agreements “illegal” under international law during a phone call with Shoukry, according to a ministry statement.

Turkish offshore gas deal with Libya upsets Mediterranean boundaries - WORLD OIL / BLOOMBERG

Turkey's claimed EEZ in darker blue; in brown the illegal agreement

6 DEC 2019

Selcan Hacaoglu, Firat Kozok

ANKARA (Bloomberg) - Turkey and Libya officially approved a contentious maritime deal that may fuel an energy showdown in the gas-rich waters of the eastern Mediterranean, where both countries are at odds with Greece.

The Nov. 27 preliminary agreement demarcates an 18.6-nautical mile (35-kilometer) line that will form the maritime boundary separating what will be the two countries’ respective exclusive economic zones. Libya’s presidential council and Turkey’s parliament approved the memorandum of understanding, Anadolu Agency said Friday. It is now expected to be filed with the United Nations.

“This agreement also amounts to a political message that Turkey can’t be sidelined in the eastern Mediterranean and nothing can be really achieved in the region without Turkey’s participation,” Cagatay Erciyes, a senior foreign ministry official in charge of maritime and aviation boundary affairs, said on Thursday.

Cyprus petitions The Hague to safeguard offshore rights - REUTERS

DECEMBER 5, 2019 / 10:50 AM

ATHENS (Reuters) - Cyprus has petitioned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to safeguard its offshore mineral rights, its president said on Thursday, upping the ante with neighbor Turkey which disputes its claims.

Cyprus’s internationally recognized government discovered offshore gas in 2011 but has been at loggerheads with Turkey over maritime zones around the island, where it has granted licenses to multinational companies for oil and gas research.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said Cyprus is committed to protecting its sovereign rights with every legal means possible.

“Our recourse to The Hague has that very purpose,” he told journalists in Nicosia.

Deal to develop LNG infrastructure and supply in Cyprus reached - CYPRUS MAIL

December 3, 20196Jonathan Shkurko

An agreement to sign a contract on developing the necessary infrastructure and the supply of liquified natural gas (LNG) in Cyprus has been finalised.

The goal is to be able to use LNG in the market for electricity purposes by the end of 2021.

The deal follows lengthy negotiations between the Natural Gas Infrastructure Company (Etyfa), the Natural Gas Public Company (Defa) and the joint venture JV China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co Ltd and Metron SA, which will carry out the project.

The government gave the go-ahead to finalise the deal on November 22 during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in which President Anastasiades made it clear that Defa must go ahead with the procedures for the provision of natural gas in Cyprus.

The final process of examining and signing the complex agreement will take place this week.

Egypt condemns Libya-Turkey Mediterranean agreement - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 1 December 2019

Egypt, Greece, Cyprus denounce Turkey-Libya agreement to redraw Mediterranean maritime boundaries: The Egyptian government has condemned as illegal the signing of two agreements on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean and security cooperation between Turkey and Libya. 

The agreements — signed between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Libyan PM Fayez Al Serraj in Istanbul on Wednesday — have “no legal effect” since the 2015 Skhirat peace agreement only grants the cabinet the power to sign legally-binding international agreements, Egypt said. The maritime boundaries agreed by Libya and Turkey remain unclear. Greece and Cyprus also denounced the agreement as illegal under international law, the Associated Press reports. The fallout comes amid heightened tensions over oil and gas drilling in the eastern Mediterranean.

Cyprus, Greece decry Turkey-Libya maritime border deal - WASHINGTON POST / ASSOCIATED PRESS

November 29, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. GMT+2Menelaos Hadjicostis | AP 

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus and Greece have strongly criticized an agreement between Turkey and Libya’s U.N.-backed government to delineate the maritime boundaries between the two countries, describing it as a serious breach of international law that disregards the lawful rights of other eastern Mediterranean countries.

The Cypriot Foreign Ministry said Friday a Memorandum of Understanding the two countries signed has no legal validity and can’t undermine the rights of Cyprus or other coastal states.

It said Turkey’s “distortion” of international law doesn’t afford it any legal rights and demonstrates that Ankara is alone in its views.

Wallace Appointed CEO of Israel’s Delek Group - JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY (JPT)

27 November 2019

Idan Wallace, currently deputy chief executive officer of Israeli independent Delek Group, will succeed Asaf Bartfeld as CEO beginning 1 January 2020. Bartfeld is retiring after 30 years with the company.

Wallace, deputy CEO since 2015, is also the CEO of Tshuva Group, a group of private companies owned by Yitzhak Tshuva, Delek Group’s controlling shareholder. Since 2010, he has served as a strategic advisor to the CEOs of Delek Energy, Delek Drilling, and Avner Oil Exploration.

Bartfeld, president and CEO since 2003, has held multiple senior positions at Delek Group, including chief financial officer. He currently serves as chairman or director of several Delek Group subsidiaries and affiliates.

Egypt- Shell close to finalising sale of its oil assets in Western Desert - MENAFN / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

11/27/2019 6:14:45 AM 

(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) Dutch Shell company is close to finalising the sale of its existing oil assets and natural gas concession areas in the Western Desert, which represent about 80% of its assets in Egypt.

A source in the petroleum sector told Daily News Egypt that after completing the deal, the company will only have Rashid and Burullus fields whose production is estimated at 290m cubic feet of gas per day (scf/day).

He added that the company has five research and exploration areas after winning the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company's (EGAS) tender. This will not be included in the sale as there is no development and production agreement.

He explained that Shell Egypt was granted oil exploration rights in three areas in the concessions of West Fayoum, Southeast Horus, and South Abu Sinan with investments of $24.7m, $24.5m, and $7.8m, respectively. The company also plans to obtain 14 exploratory wells in the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation's (EGPC) tender.

Cyprus aims to sign contract on natural gas infrastructure and supply in 2019 - IN-CYPRUS / CNA

November 27, 2019 at 7:46am
Edited by Bouli Hadjioannou

The government’s aim is to finalise and sign a contract on developing the necessary infrastructure and the supply of natural gas in the Cypriot market within 2019 Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis has said.

Lakkotrypis was speaking during an event held to present the annual report for 2018 of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus.

He said the aim is to complete the development project for the necessary infrastructure and the natural gas provision process in the Cypriot market for the electricity production purposes by the end of 2021.

According to Lakkotrypis, the Natural Gas Infrastructure Company (ETYFA) is now in consultations with the first tenderer who is first in line, aiming to finalise the contract and sign it within 2019. Referring to the project he added that it is expected to be completed within 24 months. EAC has a 30% shareholding in ETYFA.

Baltim’s Third Well to Be Linked to Year-End Production - EGYPT OIL & GAS

Monday, 25th November 2019

Italian giant, Eni, is working on linking the third well of Baltim field to production by the end of 2019, an official source told Alborsa news.

The third well is expected to add around 100 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) of natural gas and 650 barrels of condensates.

After linking the third well to production, the field’s production is anticipated to reach 290 mmcf/d of natural gas and 1,950 barrels per day (b/d) of condensates, according to the sources.

The source noted that Baltim field includes six well of natural gas with an average production rate of around 75-100 mmcf/d of natural gas, making the total production of natural gas reach 500 mmcf/d.

Netanyahu’s cousin bought Greek steel company as PM backed Greece gas deal - THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

24 November 2019, 7:49 pm

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cousin, US businessman Nathan Milikowsky, invested earlier this year in a massive Greek steel conglomerate at the same time the prime minister was advancing a gas pipeline deal with Greece and Cyprus, according to an exclusive report Sunday by The Times of Israel’s Hebrew sister site, Zman Israel.

According to the report, in late June, Milikowsky’s company, Jordan International, bought Hellenic Steel, which for many years was Greece’s second-largest steel company.

The report notes that Hellenic Steel’s factory near Thessaloniki had been out of commission for five years amid Greece’s economic crisis, and only resumed its activity last week, with the new investment.

The report says Jordan International is expected to invest some 100 million euros ($110 million) in the factory, whose output is expected to reach some 350,000 tons’ worth of product per year.

TAP pipeline completed; trial op starts soon - KATHIMERINI

24.11.2019 : 13:04

The Greek section of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) transporting natural gas from Azerbaijan to Greece, Albania, Italy and points beyond in western Europe is ready and will begin trial operations in early December.

During this so-called commissioning phase, small volumes of natural gas will go through the pipeline to ensure commercial use is safe.

The pipeline has already been tested for structural flaws by pumping water under pressure through it.

The commissioning phase will last several months, but commercial use will begin in 2020.

The total length of the pipeline from the Greek-Turkish border to Italy through Albania and the Adriatic Sea is 878 kilometers (545 miles).

Egypt signs $430-million gas deal with Texas' Noble Energy - YAHOO FINANCE / REUTERS

November 23, 2019

CAIRO, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Egypt said on Saturday it had signed several multimillion-dollar energy investment accords including a $430-million deal for Texas-based Noble Energy to pump natural gas through the East Mediterranean Gas Company's pipeline.

Under another agreement with Noble, which will also be financed by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the energy company will manufacture petroleum products in partnership with Egyptian company Dolphinus Holdings.

The cabinet detailed the plans at the end of an Africa investment forum held on the site of the country's planned new administrative capital in the desert east of Cairo.

Amsterdam-based Lekela also announced the start of construction work on its West Bakr wind power plant, which will have a capacity of 250 megawatts and require a total investment of $350 million.

Libya’s NOC sets out big plans in international pitch - ENERGY VOICE

22/11/2019, 7:18 am

Ed Reed

Libya expects to raise more than $20 billion in revenue in 2019, with production running at around 1.25 million barrels per day, the company’s chairman Mustafa Sanalla said at a conference in Tunis.

The plan is for 2020 to be a “transformative year for NOC and Libya”, he said. There are a number of aspects to the scheme, which should see production increase to 1.5mn bpd in 2020 and 2.1mn bpd by 2024. Gas output by that point should be 3.5 billion cubic feet (99 million cubic metres) per day.

NOC also intends to launch a charter for its values and implement a “4D security plan”, covering transparency, engagement with communities and restricting criminal gangs’ ability to carry out fuel smuggling and other sources of revenue raising. Sanalla set out plans for an “endowment fund”, under which communities hosting oil production would receive payments linked to output volumes.

Leading the Way in Cyprus - NOBLE ENERGY

21 NOVEMBER 2019

Noble Energy was the first operator to discover natural gas resources offshore the Republic of Cyprus. In November 2019, we entered an amended production sharing contract and received the first exploitation license granted by the Government of Cyprus. These agreements provide a fiscal and regulatory pathway for economic development of the Aphrodite field.

The Aphrodite field has the potential to help meet strong regional demand. We look forward to working with the government and people of Cyprus to help the country and the region realize the economic benefits Aphrodite can provide.

Reflecting our commitment to the republic’s economic future, Noble Energy participates on the International Presidential Business Advisory Council, which focuses on improving the country’s capacity to innovate and compete on a global scale.

In recognition of our leading role in development of natural gas resources in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Noble Energy was presented with the Cyprus International Promotion Agency International Investment Award in both 2012 and 2015.

Energean to supply natural gas worth over $1b. to Alon Tavor power plant - THE JERUSALEM POST

NOVEMBER 21, 2019 17:46 

EYTAN HALON

British-Greek oil and gas producer Energean will supply natural gas worth more than $1 billion to Israel’s Alon Tavor power plant over the next 15 years, the company said on Thursday.

Under an agreement signed with Chinese-Israeli company MRC Alon Tavor Power, the owners of the plant near Afula, Energean will supply approximately 0.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year, or up to 8 bcm over the term of the contract.

“Energean is pleased to be the supplier of natural gas to the Alon Tavor power plant, which is of strategic importance for Israel’s energy and electricity market,” said Energean CEO Mathios Rigas. “The agreement signed today represents a first step toward a long-term collaboration – and joins a long list of natural gas supply agreements from the Karish reservoir to the Israeli market as soon as 2021.”

Supply will commence with the first gas extracted from the Karish gas reservoir offshore Israel, owned and operated by Energean.

House signs off on eight oil and gas exploration agreements - ENTERPRISE / AL MAL

Wednesday, 20 November 2019

The House of Representatives approved on Sunday eight oil and gas exploration agreements, Al Mal reported. 

Most of the licenses awarded were for oil concessions: Neptune Energy got the go ahead for exploration and production in the Gulf of Suez, Shell received a license for three areas in the Western Desert, Merlon El Fayum will explore in West Fayoum, and Pacific Oil and Ganope will take Ras El Ush in the Gulf of Suez. 

Eni’s joint venture IEOC, meanwhile, received a gas license to explore in the South East Siwa and West Razek concessions.

Energean seeks to supply natural gas to Cyprus from Israel - REUTERS

NOVEMBER 19, 2019 / 1:15 PM

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Energean Oil & Gas said on Tuesday its Energean International unit submitted an application to import and supply natural gas to Cyprus starting in 2021.

In its application to Cypriot authorities, it said it sought to supply gas through a pipeline from the Karish block offshore Israel to Vassiliko, Cyprus.

The pipeline would be 215 km (135 miles) long and transport natural gas from the Karish North field, which contains 25 billion cubic meters of discovered recoverable resources.

Total investment, Energean said, will be about $350 million and will be funded by Energean. Provided there are no delays in permitting procedures, the project will allow Cyprus to receive competitively priced natural gas from 2021, it added.

Update on East Ghazalat, Egypt - NOSTRA TERRA OIL & GAS

19 November 2019

Nostra Terra (AIM: NTOG), the oil & gas exploration and production company with a portfolio of development and production assets in Texas, USA, is pleased to announce that, further to the Company's announcement of 12 August 2019, Nostra Terra's wholly owned subsidiary, Nostra Terra Inc. ("NTI") has reached a conditional agreement with regards to the East Ghazalat Concession, Egypt (the "Concession").

NTI and North Petroleum International Company SA ("North"), the operator of the Concession, have conditionally agreed that NTI will transfer its 50% participating interest in the Concession to North with provision for the conclusion of the arbitration and no further cash calls or liabilities for any past losses, including the amounts for the payment of November and December 2015 cash calls and interest, as announced on 12 August 2019.

Gloomy outlook: Aphrodite moves to exploitation - CYPRUS MAIL

Noble’s senior VP K. Elliot (L), Energy Minister G. Lakkotrypis

November 17, 2019
Charles Ellinas

The granting by the government last week of the Aphrodite gas-field Exploitation Licence for 25 years to the Noble Energy, Delek and Shell consortium is a milestone in the development of hydrocarbons discovered in the Cyprus EEZ. Not only it is the first such licence, but it enables the consortium to enter negotiations with Egypt’s Idku LNG plant to secure a gas sales contract for this gas.

Understandably, this generated considerable euphoria even to the extent of talking about the immense profits to Cyprus, estimated to be $9.3billion over the life of such a contract – based on an oil price of $70/barrel.

But let’s try to put this in context. First, the application by the consortium for an Exploitation Licence is a contractual requirement – otherwise it might have to relinquish the gas field. It does not mean that it will immediately proceed with development and production. This requires the successful completion of a number of important steps: Design of all required facilities to get a better handle over costs; Drilling at least one more appraisal well to estimate more accurately Aphrodite’s gas reserves; negotiations with Idku to secure a gas sales contract; Securing the required investment.

Egypt aims to increase oil exports revenues to $8.5bn in FY 2019/20 - MENAFN / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

NOV/17/2019 3:22:31 AM

(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) The Ministry of Petroleum aims to increase the revenues of Egypt's oil exports by the end of the current fiscal year (FY) to $8.5bn compared to $7.7bn FY 2018/19.

Senior government sources told Daily News Egypt that the total quantities targeted for exports of crude oil, gas, petroleum products, and petrochemicals amount to 17.7m tonnes.

They added that the value of exports includes the foreign partner's share of crude oil by calculating the average price of the Gulf of Suez crude oil at $55 per barrel due to the lower prices of crude oil and petroleum products.

The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) has started to increase the amount of natural gas exported through the Idku liquefaction plant to about 1bn cubic feet per day (scf/day) compared to 300m scf/day last month.

Italgas to enter Greek market - KATHIMERINI

15.11.2019 : 16:03

CHRYSSA LIAGGOU

Italy’s biggest natural gas distribution company, Italgas, is on the verge of entering the Greek market.

Kathimerini understands that Europe’s third largest gas distributor is very close to reaching an agreement with fellow Italian Eni Gas e Luce for the acquisition of the latter’s portfolio in the Greek gas grid.

Eni Gas e Luce is a subsidiary of oil giant Eni and is active in electricity and gas retail in Greece through ZeniTH (formerly known as Thessaloniki and Thessaly Gas Corporation). It also has a 49 percent holding in Thessaloniki gas distributor EDA Thess, which is 51 percent owned by Public Gas Corporation (DEPA).

Shell appoints Citi for $1 bln sale of Egypt assets -sources - REUTERS

NOVEMBER 15, 2019 / 2:21 PM
Ron Bousso

• Western Desert sale process to launch end of Nov.
• Shell’s share of production reached 100,000 boed last year

LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell has appointed investment bank Citi to run the sale of its onshore Egyptian oil and gas assets which could fetch around $1 billion, sources close to the process said.

The sale process is expected to be officially launched at the end of November, the sources said.

Shell said last month it plans to sell its onshore upstream assets in the Western Desert to focus on expanding its Egyptian offshore gas exploration.

Delek Group - Barclays CEO Energy-Power Conference September 2019

Pyatt at Thessaloniki Summit: “Energy Collaboration the Brightest Aspect of Greece-U.S. Relations” - THE NATIONAL HERALD

November 14, 2019

THESSALONIKI- US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt spoke of ”the collaboration on energy is one of the brightest aspects of the relationship between Greece and the US,” while addressing the Thessaloniki Summit 2019 on Thursday, which he is attending for a third time.

Pyatt underlined that US presence in northern Greece is much more apparent compared to previous years, as “we have made the city of Alexandroupolis our strategic focus,” and he referred to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) and the Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as the three elements that make the northern Greek city so significant.

He especially praised TAP’s potential for “changing Europe’s energy map and bringing non-Russian gas to European customers.”

Cyprus signs $9 Billion gas exploitation deal with Israeli firm, energy majors - ISRAEL HAYOM

NOV-14-2019 10:39

Gilad Zwick

Cyprus announced last week that it signed its first-ever natural gas exploitation deal for the Aphrodite gas field, saying it chose a consortium comprising Israel's Delek, industry giant Shell, US-based Noble.

The 25-year license is worth US$9.3 billion. The Aphrodite gas field, discovered off Cyprus' shores in 2011 by Texas-based Noble Energy is estimated to contain over 113 billion cubic meters of gas.

"Noble Energy, Shell and Delek now have in their hands the first exploitation license granted by the Republic of Cyprus so they can commercialize the deposit," said Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis, shortly after the agreement was signed.

The signing of the deal comes after the cabinet approved revisions to a production sharing agreement, made at the companies' request due to a significant fall in hydrocarbon prices since mid-2014.

Nicosia is set to receive an average yearly income of $520 million over an 18-year period.

Energean identifies Zeus as next drilling target offshore Israel - OFFSHORE MAGAZINE

Nov 13th, 2019

ATHENS, Greece – Energean plans a 5.4-km (3.36-mi) subsea tieback of its recent Karish North discovery offshore Israel to the FPSO Energean Power.

This follows completion of side track appraisal operations at the well, which have confirmed a best estimate recoverable resource of 0.9 tcf of gas and 34 MMbbl of light oil/condensate (combined around 190 MMboe).

The Energean Power is being constructed with a gas production capacity of 8 bcm/yr (775 MMcf/d).

The drillship Stena DrillMAX has now relocated to complete the three Karish Main development wells, after which the vessel will drill the Zeus exploration prospect, targeting 0.6 tcf across three reservoir intervals.

Exxonmobil Israel talk Leviathan LNG export options - OIL & GAS EURASIA

13.11.2019

Exxonmobil is offering to build Israel a floating LNG gas-ship to export from the Leviathan gasfield and thus bypass Egypt’s planned LNG export facility.

An Exxonmobil representative told various financial media that the company is still considering its options. Other sources cautioned that it is entirely likely no agreement will be reached.

Despite considerable gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean region over the past decade, viable export routes have been hard to find. This has put off global energy firms. The Leviathan partners have signed deals to meet surging demand in Egypt, Jordan and Israel, but haven’t yet found a way to export to Europe or East Asia.

SDX Energy begins gas production at Egyptian site - CITY A.M

Tuesday 12 November 2019 12:47 pm

UK oil and gas exploratory firm SDX Energy announced this morning that production had started at the company’s South Disouq concession in Egypt.

Each of the site’s four discovery wells have been tested and gas has been flowing since the 7 November.

All gas production at the site, in which SDX owns a 55 per cent stake, will be sold to Egypt’s national gas company Egas.

The company said that initial flow rates were in line with expectations and that SDX will gradually ramp up production with a view to achieving its targeted production rate of 50m standard feet per day in the first quarter of 2020.

Eni not interested in acquiring Dana Gas Egypt portfolio - ENTERPRISE

Tuesday, 12 November 2019

M&A WATCH- Italy’s Eni is not looking to acquire the Dana Gas’ assets in Egypt, Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi tells Bloomberg TV (watch, runtime: 7:14). 

Descalzi stressed that Eni is satisfied with its portfolio for the time being and plans to focus on developing current assets before biting off more. 

Dana Gas had received offers for buying its assets in Egypt and expects to make a decision on the sale after bidding closes by mid-November to focus its resources on its assets in Kurdistan. 

The company was looking to complete the sale in one transaction, but is also considering only a partial sale, which hinges on the offers presented.

Aphrodite feels the love - PETROLEUM ECONOMIST

Nicosia, 12 November 2019

Gerald Butt

Cypriot energy minister Georgios Lakkotrypis issues the country’s first exploitation licence to the Aphrodite consortium to export gas to Egypt

The discussion of exactly where the gas discovered back in 2011 in Cyprus' offshore Block 12, by a consortium including US independent operator Noble Energy, would end up has loomed for almost all the 2010s.

At his Nicosia office, the country's energy minister tells Petroleum Economist Middle East editor Gerald Butt that the question has now finally been resolved.

What is now the way ahead for Aphrodite?

Lakkotrypis: The plan is that we will transport the gas vis a subsea pipeline to Egypt, liquefying it at Idku, from where it will be shipped by Shell [another partner, along with Israel's Delek, in Aphrodite] to international markets, primarily Europe. We have spent the past 12 months or more discussing the details of a revised production sharing contract (PSC) and field development plan. So now we have the exploitation licence. First gas will be in 2025.

Why has it taken so long to get gas out of Aphrodite?

Larnaca fuel storage move on schedule - CYPRUS MAIL

November 12, 2019
Jonathan Shkurko

Larnaca mayor Andreas Vyras said Tuesday the conditions were now right for the relocation of the petroleum and LPG facilities from the coast to Vasilikos to take place.

Vyras said that the relocation of the facilities has always been a priority for the city of Larnaca.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the government and the fuel companies who own the storage facilities to move them to the new terminal by December 2019 and to gas stations around Cyprus by December 2020.

Vyras said the government and the companies were working tirelessly to move the units by the set date to the Vasilikos industrial area, where works have already begun.