Leviathan Partners Considering FLNG for Israel’s Offshore Field - NATURAL GAS INTEL

August 2, 2019
Tim Daiss

Partners in the Noble Energy Inc.-operated Leviathan project offshore Israel are considering a floating liquified natural gas (FLNG) vessel to enable exports from the massive natural gas field.

Delek Group and Houston-based Noble are negotiating with Golar LNG Ltd. and Exmar NV for a binding long-term charter agreement to finance, build, operate and maintain the facility in Israel’s exclusive economic zone.

Noble two weeks ago said it was only months away from delivering commercial gas from the field, with sales scheduled to start by the end of the year. The company expects to sell an average of 800 MMcf/d from Leviathan in 2020.

An FLNG facility would allow liquefaction capacity of 2.4-5 million metric tons/year. Processed gas could be piped from the Leviathan production platform to the FLNG facility offshore Israel, where it would be liquefied and transferred to LNG vessels.

Egypt Says Offshore Gas Discoveries Bolster Ties with Cyprus - THE NATIONAL HERALD / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sameh Shoukry (L) and Nikos Christodoulides meet in Nicosia on July 31

August 1, 2019

NICOSIA (AP) — Egypt’s foreign minister says hydrocarbon finds in the eastern Mediterranean have bolstered an already “strong partnership” with neighboring Cyprus.

Minister Sameh Shoukry said after talks Wednesday with Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides that Egypt looks forward to working with Cyprus in fully utilizing energy reserves.

Egypt’s top diplomat said he’s hopeful the establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum will help open new avenues of cooperation and policy coordination between the two countries.

Shoukry said a trilateral partnership between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece serves as an “important catalyst” for regional prosperity and stability. He said Egypt will host the seventh summit of the three nations’ leaders later this year.

Christodoulides said European Union member Cyprus would continue to advocate for stronger EU-Egypt ties in order to more effectively address regional challenges.

Four Further Licences Awarded to Energean for Oil and Gas Exploration in Israel’s Exclusive Economic Zone (“EEZ”) - ENERGEAN OIL & GAS

Wednesday, July 31 2019

Energean Oil and Gas plc (LSE: ENOG, TASE: אנאג ( is pleased to announce that Israel’s Petroleum Council has awarded the Company four new licences for oil and gas exploration in the Israeli EEZ. Energean submitted its proposal in partnership with Israeli Opportunity (20%). The awarded Licences were granted for Block D, located 45 km off the Israeli coast – and include Licences 55,56,61,62 (“Zone D”), offered in the recent Bid Round published by the Israeli Ministry of Energy. Energean has identified a prospect within Zone D analogous to the prolific Tamar Sand fields (Karish, Tamar, Leviathan etc) offshore Israel. The prospect is believed to extend towards the SW of the license contingent to further seismic processing. A relatively shallow Mesozoic prospect was also identified (four way closure).

Mathios Rigas, CEO of Energean, stated: “Energean has proven its ability and commitment to explore and develop resources in a timely and cost efficient manner in the East Med. The addition of the 4 new licenses contained in Zone D adds further upside potential to our portfolio”.

Cyprus backs Total-Eni partnership in offshore gas drilling - KATHIMERINI

TUESDAY JULY 30, 2019 : 19:07

Cyprus has licensed a consortium made up of France’s Total and Italy’s Eni to search for hydrocarbons in another area that the east Mediterranean island nation has exclusive economic rights, the country’s energy minister said Tuesday.

Energy Minister Georgios Lakkotrypis said the two oil companies will each have 50 percent rights to Block 7, one of 13 areas composing the country’s exclusive economic zone off its south coast.

Total will be the designated operator in the block which borders three others where deposits of natural gas have been discovered. It’s believed a gas field found in the adjacent Block 6 that also belongs jointly to Total and Eni may extend in to Block 7.

Lakkotrypis says the government has also approved Total’s participation in four other blocks where Eni had a license. Total’s rights to the four blocks range from 20 percent to 40 percent.

Israel, Egypt mull Sinai LNG plant for Asian exports - GLOBES

28 Jul, 2019 18:40
Amiram Barkat

Building such a facility on the Red Sea shore for liquid natural gas exports would cost $10-15 billion.

Egypt and Israel are considering construction of a liquefaction facility on the shores of the Red Sea in Sinai through which natural gas can be exported to markets in Asia, sources inform "Globes." The initiative is similar to the one previously promoted by Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Co. (EAPC), which wanted the facility to be in Israeli territory near Eilat. The idea was shelved due to strong opposition, among other things by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

This time, the idea is to construct the facility on the Egyptian side of the border, which will make it possible to overcome the opposition to the huge project. In Egypt, the ability to delay such projects for environmental reasons is much more limited. Furthermore, a liquefaction project on Egyptian territory can provide jobs for thousands of Egyptians during the construction stage and hundreds more during the operational stage.

Building the facility on the Red Sea is designed to open the option of exporting Israeli and Egyptian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the East Asian market: India, China, Japan, South Korea, and other countries, which constitute 70% of the global liquefied gas market. The cost of building a medium-sized land-based liquefaction facility is projected in the $10-15 billion range.

UAE’s Dana Gas hires adviser to sell Egypt assets - MIDDLE EAST MONITOR

July 28, 2019 at 11:24 am

United Arab Emirates’ Dana Gas has hired investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. (TPH) to advise it on the sale of its Egyptian assets, worth over $500 million, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the company shifts its focus to its Kurdistan operation, Reuters reported in an exclusive on Sunday.

The Abu Dhabi-listed energy producer – whose main assets are in Egypt and in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) – has been considering an alternative listing in London, and focusing on a single geographical area could be appealing to future investors in the company, said one of the sources. The sources did not wish to be identified because the information has not been made public.

A spokesman for Dana Gas declined to comment while TPH did not immediately respond to a request for comment, sent outside working hours.

Dana’s exploration and production assets in Egypt are onshore the Nile Delta except for Block 6 in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

In May Dana began drilling at the offshore Merak well in Block 6, saying it could hold up to 4 trillion cubic feet of gas.

On Sunday Dana said in a bourse filing that the drilling has not found commercial hydrocarbons and that the well is being abandoned. It added its operations in Egypt continue production normally.