Why Greece Is Betting Big on American Gas - THE NEW YORK TIMES

May 31, 2024
Max Bearak

When a withering financial crisis forced Greece to rethink its economy a decade ago, it bet big on green power​. Since then, Greece’s energy transition has been so swift “it almost feels utopian​,”​ one Greek environmentalist said.

​Mountainous ridgelines and arid islands ​are covered in wind turbines and solar panels​ that ​today provide nearly two-thirds of the nation’s electricity.​​​

But ​now Greece​ is deliberately pivoting back toward fossil fuels, just not to burn at home. This time it’s betting that it can become one of Europe’s main suppliers of natural gas, with much of it shipped from the United States.

Both Greek and European Union subsidies have funded new pipelines that crisscross the country and connect to a brand-new import terminal that will send gas to a broad swath of Central and Eastern Europe for decades to come.

Halliburton and Honeywell in talks to develop oil fields and refineries in Libya - THE LIBYA UPDATE

Friday, March 24, 2023

Halliburton and Honeywell International Inc. are hammering out $1.4 billion worth of deals to develop an oil field and refinery with National Oil Corporation in Libya, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing the chairman of state-owned firm, Farhat Bengdara.

Libya’s NOC and Honeywell are set to unveil a contract related to the construction of a refinery in southern Libya, Bengdara and a spokesman for the American firm told the Wall Street Journal. The initial deal, expected to be announced this weekend, is for the design of the plant, the spokesman said, which would be followed by a $400 million pact to build the entire plant.

This announcement notably comes after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a senate committee on Wednesday that the U.S. was actively working to reopen an embassy in Libya, in part so it could better support the prospect of Libyan elections. The U.S. shut its embassy in Tripoli in 2014 following violent clashes between militias.

Greece can nearly quadruple gas export capacity by 2025 - gas grid operator - REUTERS

November 30, 2022 — 07:30 am EST
Angeliki Koutantou

ATHENS, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Greece is becoming a European gas corridor and can nearly quadruple its gas export capacity to neighbouring countries in the coming years thanks to new infrastructure under development, Maria Rita Galli, the chief executive of the country's gas grid operator DESFA said on Wednesday.

In the wake of the war in Ukraine, Greece has this year more than halved its imports of Russian gas, instead ramping up deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG), mainly from the United States and Egypt, to its sole LNG facility at Revithoussa near Athens.

The terminal, which the government has called "indispensible", has also helped export gas to neigbouring nations including Bulgaria, which was cut off from Russian supplies earlier this year after refusing to pay in roubles.

The US should link eastern Mediterranean gas to Europe to subvert Russia - THE HILL

MARCH/15/22 12:00 PM EDT

Nicholas Saidel, Godfrey Garner 

The Biden administration should pause its hyper-focus on renewable energy and support efforts to prevent Russian energy blackmail against our European allies. The European Union (EU) has declared it will cut reliance on Russian gas by two-thirds. If the U.S. is serious about energy security in Europe, it must help ensure that eastern Mediterranean natural gas makes it to Europe’s shores.

In late January, President Biden took the opposite route, surprising Greece, Israel and Cyprus — the regional entities in the U.S.-sponsored “3+1” cooperation framework — by withdrawing support for the EastMed Pipeline, an unfunded, multibillion-dollar concept conceived in 2016 that would have brought eastern Mediterranean gas to Europe via an underground pipeline. Biden cited climate change and economic viability concerns, both arguably reasonable positions at the time. However, considering Russia’s war in Ukraine and its downstream effects, Biden must show flexibility and adapt his natural gas policy.

Gas from the eastern Mediterranean could diversify Europe’s energy portfolio. Israel alone has approximately 2.2 trillion cubic meters of gas awaiting discovery. While it wouldn’t satisfy all of Europe’s needs, it would help to offset Russian gas imports. NATO countries such as Germany, Italy and Turkey could benefit from new suppliers, especially since German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has halted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that would have increased the country’s reliance on Russian gas. Like Germany, Italy is seeking alternative sources.

EastMed: The US just stated the obvious - CYPRUS MAIL

January 16, 2022

Dr Charles Ellinas

• EastMed never was viable and technically it stretched the limits
• The world has moved on and it’s time we did too

The news last Monday that the US State Department finally abandoned the EastMed gas pipeline should not have come as a surprise – the US stated the obvious. Sadly, instead of this announcement attracting the openminded response it deserves, much of the publicity in the Greek and Cypriot press has been negative and in cases demeaning, preferring to conjure conspiracies behind it, rather than doing the obvious and simple thing: taking it at face value.

But these responses will not detract from the fact that the future is in clean energy and electricity interconnections, that facilitate electrical stability and wider adoption of renewables in a region that has the potential and can really benefit from transition to clean energy – and not in gas exports. That is exactly what I have been advocating for years now.

U.S. voices misgivings on EastMed gas pipeline -Greek officials - FINANCIAL POST / REUTERS

Jan 11, 2022

ATHENS — The United States has expressed misgivings on a subsea pipeline designed to supply Europe with natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean, Greek government sources said, in an apparent U-turn over a project supported by the Trump administration.

Washington let its concerns be known recently, in a note sent to Greece, another source said.

Competing claims over gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean are a point of tension between Turkey and ethnically-split Cyprus. Turkey opposes the pipeline project.

Greece, Cyprus and Israel have approved an agreement for the EastMed pipeline, which has been in planning for several years. The countries had aimed to reach a final investment decision this year and have the 6 billion euro scheme completed by 2025 to help Europe diversify its energy resources.

Steinitz: Gas development after Israel-Lebanon talks critical for Beirut - THE JERUSALEM POST

OCTOBER 1, 2020 20:52

Lahav Harkov

The coronavirus pandemic has not stopped Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz from having a major international footprint.

In one week, Steinitz and his Egyptian counterpart established a new international organization dedicated to regional natural-gas developments, the minister spoke with two of his counterparts in the United Arab Emirates for the first time and negotiated the terms for starting maritime border talks with Lebanon, which were officially finalized on Thursday.

“In the coming period we will have negotiations directly mediated by the US, so that once and for all we can sum up the historic dispute over the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon,” Steinitz told The Jerusalem Post. It will be the first direct negotiations between the countries in 30 years.

East Mediterranean states establish forum - KATHIMERINI

22 September 2020 - 12:30

The founding members of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum signed a charter during an online ceremony on Tuesday, marking the group’s organization status in seeking to promote regional cooperation.

Ministers from Egypt, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Italy were scheduled to meet online to put pen to paper in a virtual ceremony, thereby establishing regional intergovernmental forum by statue.

According to a joint declaration, the forum “will contribute to advancing regional stability and prosperity” through cooperation in the energy field.

The Cypriot minister also said the charter was open for all countries that have an interest in the region and also share the same set of values and principles.

Europe warns Turkey against natural gas mission near Greece - DW

24.07.2020

European officials on Thursday warned Turkey against pursuing a survey mission looking for gas reserves near Greek islands in the eastern Mediterranean.

Greece and Cyprus have accused Turkey of undermining their sovereignty by continuing to pursue energy resources within their territorial waters.

"The government is underlining to all parties that Greece will not accept a violation of its sovereignty and will do whatever is necessary to defend its sovereign rights," said Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for sanctions against Turkey, saying it is "not acceptable for the maritime space of a European Union member state to be violated or threatened."

Last year, the EU adopted a sanctions regime targeting Turkey over its unauthorized gas drilling in Cypriot waters.

Libyan MoU cannot affect Greek rights, says US energy official - KATHIMERINI

02.JUNE.2020 : 22:45

The Turkey-Libya memorandum of understanding (MoU) relating to maritime zones “cannot as a legal matter affect the rights or obligations of third states” such as Greece, a US energy official said on Tuesday during a virtual roundtable discussion on the Eastern Mediterranean and the trilateral partnership between Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

The event was organized by the Atlantic Council and the American-Hellenic Chambers of Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

“International Law, the Convention of the Law of the Sea generally recognises that islands ... generally have an EEZ and they have a continental shelf, just as any other land territory, said Francis Fannon, US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources.

At the same time, an MoU “does not abrogate the rights of states,” he added, "their legal status is recognized, there's not an equivalency here."

Ambassador Pyatt’s Remarks at AmCham East Med Act and 3+1 in Age of COVID-19 - US EMBASSY GREECE

June 2, 2020

Delivered (virtual roundtable)

Thanks Katerina. Well, let me start first of all by congratulating both the Atlantic Council and AmCham for this event, and in the same way as Ben said, the Atlantic Council has made a big bet on Greece, the United States has made a big bet on the 3+1 framework as a means to build stability and prosperity in a strategically dynamic region. We can see the challenge of great power rivalry returning to the region, even during this Coronavirus period.

I would just say a couple of quick points. Minister Hatzidakis spoke well to the benefits to Greece from this trilateral cooperation. For the United States, first of all, I should highlight that energy has been one of the real bright spots of our bilateral relationship for a few years now. We see Greece emerging as a major source of energy security across southeastern Europe with a whole variety of projects from the expanded Revithoussa terminal to the TAP pipeline to the IGB pipeline now moving ahead to the Floating Regassification Unit in Alexandroupoli.

Cyprus: Lakkotrypis and Fannon welcome the launch of 3+1 Technical Committee works - IBNA

05/FEB/2020Spiros Sideris

The Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry George Lakotroupis alongside the US Deputy Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis R. Fannon welcomed the launch of the works of the first 3+1 Technical Committee (Cyprus, Greece Israel and the US) today, Wednesday February 5 2020 in Nicosia, to address the issue of “Emergency Preparedness and Response to Emergencies Related to Offshore Oil and Gas Activities”.

Speaking to the press, George Lakotroupis explained that the establishment of the Technical Committee had been agreed at the 3+1 Ministerial Meeting in Athens last August. “As I emphasized in my greeting statements, the cooperation of the three countries, plus the United States, is very important. Mind that it began in March 2019, at the 3+1 meeting at Jerusalem at the level of leaders between Cyprus, Greece and Israel, in the presence of the US Secretary of State; and it is precisely the model of cooperation everyone in the region must adopt, in order to be able to promote the common interests of our people”.

Israel Could Be Key to 2020 Middle East Geopolitics - THE BEGIN-SADAT CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES

January 2, 2020
Frank Musmar
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,389, January 2, 2020

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Israel’s geographical position means it must stay agile and manage complex relations with its Muslim neighbors through quiet collaboration and smart use of its technological and economic advantages. Over the past two decades, Israel has discovered offshore gas, begun extensive seawater desalination, and dramatically expanded its navy’s platforms and missions. Ten years ago, Israel depended on Egypt’s natural gas; nowadays, Israel exports natural gas to Egypt and Jordan.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.”

Ambassador Pyatt’s Remarks at ELIAMEP - U.S. EMBASSY IN ATHENS

September 16, 2019

Ambassador Pyatt: I will try to mirror my Cyprus counterpart and be brief so we have time for discussion.

Let me start by commending Thanos, ELIAMEP and Claudia and DEREE for putting this event together. This is a really important set of issues and I’m delighted to be able to have this prestigious audience, to have Ambassador Theodorou here, and also to have my new Israeli counterpart whom I look forward very much to working with in the months and years ahead.

I would also note, we’re meeting at a particularly busy time for the American Embassy in Greece. We had Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross here two weeks ago for a visit that highlighted the United States’ enthusiasm for the changes that are happening under the new Greek government and the investment and economic opportunities, the green light which we see in the decisions that are coming from Prime Minister Mitsotakis and his team.

Sinai Security Fears Snare Israel's Gas Exports to Egypt - HAARETZ

Tamar Petroleum's IPO back in July 2017 

Sep 16, 2019 3:13 AM

Eran Azran

• Egypt says Israeli gas exports on track but cites low figures
• Israel to begin gas exports to Egypt within months, energy minister says
• Egypt praised for economic reforms, but millions of Egyptians barely survive

Investor anxieties over the Tamar natural gas field have deepened in recent days amid security concerns about the pipeline designated to deliver Israeli gas to Egypt.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that delays in completing a key agreement to facilitate the exports were due to the tense security situation in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

“There’s some infrastructure that needs to be repaired in that area. That’s part of the holdup for shipping the gas,” the paper quoted U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette as saying. “No one wants to send individuals into harm’s way.”