Ganope launches International Bid Round for oil and gas exploration in Western Desert and Gulf of Suez - ENERGY EGYPT

August 1, 2016

Egypt’s state-owned Ganoub El-Wadi Petroleum Holding Company (Ganope) issued a new international tender for oil and gas drilling and exploration in 10 sectors in the southern areas of the Western Desert and Gulf of Suez.

Egyptian oil minister Tarek El-Molla stated Sunday that the bid includes five areas notably in West Gabal El Zeit, South East Ghara area, and South Sinai, in addition to another five areas in Egyptian Western Desert.

The minister added that this is the second bid that oil sector issue during 2016 to attract new global investments to Egypt for oil and gas drilling and explorations.

He noted that issuing bids and signing new contracts with global firms is the major factor in achieving Egypt’s strategy that aims at securing energy supplies sustainably to enhance economic and social development plans.

Saipem’s pipelayer platform for Zohr work docks at Limassol, staying six months - CYPRUS MAIL

Photos by CNA

JULY 31ST, 2016

Saipem’s pipelayer Castoro Sei (Beaver Six) was fully ensconced at Limassol port on Sunday before starting work on underwater pipelines for Egypt’s giant Zohr gasfield.

The Zohr gas field was discovered by Eni in August 2015, using the drillship Saipem 10000, which is still operating in the area.

The ‘floating factory’ Castoro Sei will remain in Cyprus for six months and is expected to boost the local economy, according to Limassol harbour master Giorgos Pouros.

Tsipras heads to Sofia for energy talks - KATHIMERINI

SATURDAY JULY 30, 2016

Continuing his government’s efforts to boost alliances within the Balkans, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is due in Sofia on Monday for talks with Bulgarian government officials that are expected to focus on improving cooperation in the energy sector.

Tsipras and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov are to jointly chair a session of a bilateral council that is to examine the scope for cooperation in various sectors of the economy, including energy and transport.

The two countries have already participated in the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) gas pipeline and have agreed to create a liquefied natural gas terminal near Alexandroupoli in northern Greece.

Eni, BP target production of 350m cubic feet of gas from South Baltim field - DAILY NEWS EGYPT

Six wells will be linked from the new discovery to the national grid by the end of
2016/2017, says source

Mohamed Adel July 30, 2016

The Italian oil company Eni and British BP will target the production of 350m cubic feet per day of gas from the discovery in South Baltim (east of the Nile Delta) by the end of the current fiscal year. The production will be linked to the national grid during the second half of 2017.

A source in the oil sector told Daily News Egypt that the implementation of the first production tests of the well, which was drilled to determine the quantities of natural gas, has been completed to measure the quantities of gas to be produced.

Cyprus Finds Ample Interest In Offshore Licensing Round - FORBES

The new names in Cyprus' 3rd Licensing Round Negotiations

JUL 29, 2016 @ 02:07 PM
Christopher Coats

After moving to open up three offshore blocks for natural gas exploration, Cyprus has reported receiving interest from a number of international firms for areas near the recent discovery of a reported “super giant”.

According to media reports, Nicosia found interest in the effort from ENI, Total, Statoil, Exxon Mobil, Qatar Petroleum, and Cairn for an area not far from where Italy’s Eni discovered a field that could hold up to an estimated 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Earlier reports suggested that the find could end up as the Mediterranean’s largest discovery to date. The discovery also led to a boost of confidence on the part of regional energy actors like Cyprus, spurring interest from a number of firms.

Russia says in talks with Turkey on two lines of TurkStream gas pipeline - REUTERS

Fri Jul 29, 2016 4:52am EDT

Moscow and Ankara have been discussing the construction of two lines of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in a TV interview aired on Friday.

Capacity of one line is around 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

"Turkey will play a large role as a transit country to provide European consumers with gas," Novak told Russia's state Rossiya-24 TV channel.

Cyprus and Jordan FMs urge patience in trilateral cooperation with Greece - CYPRUS MAIL

JULY 29TH, 2016

The foreign ministers of Cyprus and Jordan on Friday expressed their preference for a results-oriented approach when it comes to the trilateral cooperation scheme with Greece, urging patience before the three countries reconvene again on a ministerial level.
Nasser Judeh, who is also the deputy prime minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is in Nicosia at the invitation of his Cypriot counterpart, Ioannis Kasoulides, in order to address the annual Ambassadors` Conference. The two ministers had a tête-à-tête at the foreign ministry, followed by a working lunch.

Judeh said that the trilateral cooperation “is not about deadlines and meetings for the sake of meetings”. He stressed the potential in various areas of cooperation between the three countries, such as tourism, energy, water and regional security. “Let`s see results and let’s meet these results before meeting,” he said.

Be cautious, despite oil majors’ interest, warns expert - CYPRUS MAIL

We'll know in Q4-2016 the final picture of the Cypriot EEZ

JULY 28TH, 2016 ELIAS HAZOU

DESPITE the impressive participation in the third hydrocarbons licensing round in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the government should not rest on its laurels, an energy analyst has told the Cyprus Mail.

“We are still a long way off from any [exploratory] drilling in the acreage put up for auction, and besides, matters do not seem to be moving forward with regard to the Aphrodite prospect,” Charles Ellinas said.

The expert said the turnout in the third licensing round was particularly impressive, in terms of the calibre of the bidding companies. Three oil majors are involved – ExxonMobil, ENI and Total.

“Competition for block 10 is going to be intense. It will be interesting to see who lands that concession.”

Egypt's Badr El-Din ups oil production to 137,000 barrels/day - AMWAL AL GHAD / ZAWYA / REUTERS

Mahmoud Shaaban
28 July 2016

Badr El‐Din Petroleum Company (BAPETCo), a joint venture between the Egyptian Government and Shell, has recently boosted its oil production to around 137,000 barrels per day, its chairman announced Wednesday.

The production involves around 50,000 barrels of crude and condensates per day, chairman Emad Hamdy said.

Hamdy further added that BAPETCo's total natural gas production is estimated at 490 million cubic feet amid plans for increase in the coming period.

BAPETCo's wells are located in the Western Desert concession area, where Badr 3 is its flagship oil field.

Egypt Expands Efforts to Address Natural Gas Demand - FORBES

JUL 28, 2016 @ 08:33 PM
Christopher Coats, CONTRIBUTOR

In hopes of reviving its oil and gas production efforts, Egypt has signed exploration agreements with Cypriot and U.S. firms to assist with onshore projects.

According to media reports, Cairo signed deals with IPR and Cypriot subsidiary Mediterra to help the country reach new production goals, specifically focusing on three exploration wells in sectors 7 and 8 in southern Egypt.

The deals come as Egypt continues to push for a revival of its energy production sector, which largely collapsed following the fall of the Mubarak government in 2011. Since then, Egypt has struggled to meet its rising energy needs, resulting in mounting debt to foreign producers and efforts to curb usage and subsidies to consumers.

Applications submitted for the 3rd licensing round for hydrocarbon exploration - REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS

27/07/2016 
13:06

Subsequent to today’s, July 27, official briefing of the President of the Republic and the members of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism announces that for the 3rd licensing round for offshore hydrocarbon exploration in Blocks 6, 8 and 10 in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus, the following applications were received by the application deadline, which was Friday, 22 July 2016:

Egypt produces 50m more cubic feet of natural gas - DAILY NEWS EGYPT

Tuesday July 26, 2016 - Mohamed Adel 

Eni gas fields in the Nile Delta added 110m cubic feet per day, say sources

Egypt’s daily production of natural gas has increased to 4.05bn cubic feet during this week for the first time since the beginning of the year, compared to 4bn cubic feet of gas last week. It came after adding 110m cubic feet produced daily by Italian Eni’s gas fields in the Nile Delta.

A source in Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) said the company added about 70m cubic feet of gas to the daily production from Nooros field, located in Abu Madi concession, as well as 40m cubic feet per day from East Baltim 12 in Nile Delta.

Energy issues in Turkey's hands, Russia says - UPI

Photo by tcly/Shutterstock

Russia renewing oil and gas pipeline options in the wake of Turkish coup attempt.

By Daniel J. Graeber | July 26, 2016 at 8:59 AM 

MOSCOW, July 26 (UPI) -- Decisions related to natural gas transit infrastructure tied to Russian supplies are in the hands of the Turkish government, a Gazprom chairman said.

Russian and Turkish officials discussed prospects for the so-called Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline system. Alexander Medvedev, a deputy chairman at Russian energy company Gazprom, said it's up to the Turkish government to take the next steps on the pipeline.

Socar Hits Desfa Snag - NATURAL GAS EUROPE

July 26th, 2016, John Roberts

Azerbaijan's state energy company Socar is running into problems concerning its stake in Greece's natural gas grid operator, Desfa, with the Greek parliament expected to vote imminently for a crucial change concerning the value of Desfa.

As a result, Socar is expected to send a delegation of senior officials to hold talks in Athens this week. They will address two main problems. The first concerns the size of Socar's stake in Desfa. The second – which is both far more important and far more complex – concerns the methodology of accounting within Desfa.

The first point is relatively straightforward. When Socar won the tender to acquire a 66% stake in Desfa for €400mn in June 2013, purchasing a 35% stake from Hellenic Petroleum and a 31% stake from Greek government, it had strong EU backing, not least because the leading alternative bidder was a Russian company, Sintez. At the time, the EU was also worried that Gazprom would seek to purchase Desfa's parent company, Depa, the Greek natural gas supply company. In the event, however, nobody bid for Depa and only Socar bid for Desfa.

Six applicants for three Cyprus offshore blocks - OFFSHORE ENGINEER

By Elaine Maslin Monday, 25 July 2016 03:25

Cyprus has received six applications from eight companies for the three blocks it put up in its 3rd Licensing Round for offshore exploration.

The three blocks were Blocks 6, 8 and 10, in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea.

The names of the interested companies/consortia are due to be announced this Wednesday, 27 July, with exploration and production sharing contract awards due to be made within about six months.

Israel, Cyprus to boost regional cooperation - ISRAEL HAYOM

Monday July 25, 2016

PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades meet in Jerusalem • "Leaders underscored their shared interests in regional stability and expressed their agreement to continue countering extremism and terrorism," joint statement says.

News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades met Sunday in Jerusalem. The two leaders discussed various regional issues, and agreed to increase Jerusalem and Nicosia's cooperation on shared regional concerns, such as the war on terror and energy interests.

EGAS awards contracts for 11 LNG shipments between June and August - ENERGY EGYPT / ENTERPRISE

July 25, 2016

Trafigura, Royal Dutch Shell, Rosneft, and PetroChina were awarded tenders to supply EGAS with a total of 11 LNG shipments between the months of June and August, sources told Al Borsa.

Trafigura is supplying five shipments, followed by Shell with three, Rosneft with two, and PetroChina with one. As previously reported, EGAS has issued a tender for a third FSRU to meet domestic demand as the three Siemens power plants come online soon.

Greek storage stuck in no-man's-land - NATURAL GAS EUROPE

Source: Energean Oil & Gas

July 25th, 2016, Kama Mustafayeva

Greece's environment and energy minister Panos Skourletis expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in turning a gas field into an underground natural gas storage (UGS) during a recent speech in parliament. He criticised the state privatization fund Taiped for “not having shown any interest in moving ahead all these years” with plans to convert a gas field in the Gulf of Kavala into an UGS, Energypress reports.

He said that UGS is “a highly significant issue throughout Europe and such facilities are greatly sought after,” but although ownership of the field was transferred to Taiped in 2011, nothing has been done since.

According to a source, establishing UGS was to have been part of the plan to enhance Greek energy security and foster a southeast European trading hub; other elements included the Trans Adriatic pipeline; Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria and its extension into Romania and boosting the import capacity of the LNG terminal in Revithoussa, near Athens.

Delek bids for Cypriot exploration licenses - GLOBES

24/07/2016, 10:18, Globes correspondent

Delek's units Avner and Delek Drilling have bid as part of the Capricorn Oil consortium.
Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) gas and oil exploration units Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L) and Delek Drilling LP (TASE: DEDR.L) reported this morning that they have bid for the Cypriot government tender to buy rights in the country's economic waters. Winning such a bid would by synergistic to its operations in Israel's offshore gas fields. "Globes" was the first to report last week that Delek was about to make such a bid.

The bid by the Delek units was submitted as part of the Capricorn Oil consortium. Capricorn is the consortium's operator and is a unit of Cairn Energy, which is traded on the London Stock Exchange under the CNE ticker.

ENI and Total ‘join forces’ for Block 6 - IN BUSINESS / CYPRUS WEEKLY

July 23, 2016

Energy giants ENI and Total have reportedly defied threats from Turkey and joined forces to go after Block 6 in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), according to media reports on Saturday.

On Friday, six applications, from eight companies, for exploratory drilling rights in blocks six, eight and, ten in the island’s EEZ have been received from eight different companies.

The names of the interested companies and consortia will be announced on Wednesday, 27 July following their disclosure to a scheduled plenum of the cabinet and President Nicos Anastasiades.

Aphrodite in doubt as new acreage turns heads - INTERFAX

By Verity Ratcliffe 22 July 2016 12:23 GMT

The Aphrodite field is located in Block 12. Its development could be disrupted by new acreage on offer.

The development of Aphrodite, Cyprus’s biggest gas field to date, will continue to be stymied by the lack of a route to market for its gas and the hunt for much bigger discoveries, sources have told Interfax Natural Gas Daily.

Noble Energy, Delek Group and Shell (which merged with BG Group in February) are expected to submit offers on Friday in Cyprus’s third licensing round. Eni and Total, which also hold blocks in Cyprus’s offshore area, are also expected to submit bids.

The round has drawn interest from IOCs looking to secure acreage near Egypt’s massive Zohr discovery, which has been described as a game-changer for the East Mediterranean oil and gas industry.

Dolphin discovery to be returned to Israel - NATURAL GAS EUROPE

July 22nd, 2016, Ya'acov Zalel

The Israeli energy ministry has said it does not recognize the Dolphin natural gas reservoir as a discovery, which means that the rights return to the state. The commissioner's decision was revealed in a filing by Delek Drilling to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The partners in the license are Delek Group (45.3%) Noble Energy (39.7%) and Ratio (15%), as is the case also for the Leviathan Partnership.

Dolphin is a small gas discovery close to Leviathan. It was discovered in 2012 but since it holds only 2.8 bn m³ of gas there are no incentives to develop it. The energy ministry demanded from the Dolphin partners an irrevocable undertaking to develop Dolphin in conjunction with phase 1 of the development of Leviathan field which is expected to come online by the end of 2019. The partners however might have refused to commit themselves to that timetable.

Delek said July 21 that it is considering legal action in order to keep the field in its possession.

Media report: Socar deal for Greece natgas grid on shaky ground - NAFTEMPORIKI

Thursday, 21 July 2016 12:48
REUTERS/DAVID W CERNY

The leftist Greek government appears unwilling to withdraw draft legislation amending the framework for natural gas tariffs in the country, despite a warning by Azerbaijan's state-run Socar that possible changes will jeopardize a deal for Greece’s natgas grid.

According to a EurActiv report, which quoted an energy ministry official in Athens said this week, the Azerbaijan company worked out a deal with the previous Greek government in 2013 to buy a 66-percent stake in the country's natural gas grid operator DESFA for 400 million euros.

Anastasiades to meet Netanyahu on Sunday - CYPRUS MAIL

Anastasiades with Netanyahu

July 20th, 2016 - Elias Hazou

PRESIDENT Nicos Anastasiades will on Sunday pay an official visit to Israel, where he will be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the government announced on Wednesday.

Accompanying the president will be foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides and energy and trade minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis. The president and his delegation return to Cyprus on the evening of Monday, July 25.

The top three issues on the agenda are bilateral relations (energy and security), the latest developments in the Cyprus peace talks, and regional issues.

Russia revisits oil pipeline to avoid Black Sea - UPI

Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline once planned as a way to avoid crowded Turkish waterways.
By Daniel J. Graeber | July 20, 2016 at 8:05 AM

Russian pipeline said there may be renewed interest in a project meant to bypass Turkish waterways. Photo by smereka/Shutterstock

MOSCOW, July 20 (UPI) -- Russia could revisit a land-based oil pipeline meant to get around Turkish waterways if the political situation worsens, a Russian executive said.

Nikolai Tokarev, the head of Russian pipeline company Transneft, said there was renewed interest in building the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.

"Everyone is now interested in it, including Bulgarian partners," he was quoted by Russian news agency Tass as saying.

Delek, Noble to bid for new Cypriot licenses - GLOBES

20/07/2016, Hedy Cohen

The companies will be competing against Eni, BP, Shell and Total for Blocks 6, 8 and 10.
Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) and Noble Energy are expected to bid for new natural gas exploration licenses in Cyprus, energy sector sources said today. Some of the licenses include geological features similar to those of the huge Zohr reservoir in Egypt and the Tamar and Leviathan reservoirs in Israel. Major international energy companies are also expected to bid. A few months ago, Delek Group and Noble Energy abandoned their exploration rights in Block 12, where the Aphrodite gas reservoir was discovered.

The Cypriot press today reported that the companies interested in Blocks 6, 8, and 10 the new blocks include Italian company Eni, which discovered two reservoirs last year in Egypt, one of which was the Zohr reservoir; French company Total; and BP and Royal Shell, which acquired British Gas. It was also reported that following the discovery of the Zohr reservoir, the current set of licenses is expected to attract the greatest interest to date.

UPDATE 1-Egypt's tender for a third FSRU draws interest from four firms - REUTERS

Wed Jul 20, 2016 6:21am EDT
CAIRO

Egypt's tender to lease a third floating and storage regasification unit (FSRU) has drawn interest from four international firms, an Egyptian official told Reuters on Wednesday.

Once a net energy exporter, Egypt began imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) last year and has leased two FSRUs already to help avert power shortages caused by falling energy production and rising consumption.

The firms that have expressed interest in the latest tender include Norway's Hoegh, U.S. firm Excelerate Energy and Singapore-based Norwegian gas shipping company BW Gas , the ministry official said, declining to name the fourth firm.

Hoegh delivered Egypt's first FSRU in April 2015 and BW Gas supplied the second in September.

Eni and BP find 700bn feet of gas in south Baltim reservoir - DAILY NEWS EGYPT

Drilling the first well is completed at 4,000 metres depth, says source

19.7.2016, By Mohamed Adel

British Petroleum (BP) and Italy’s Eni has estimated the reserves in their concession area in south Baltim at 700bn cubic feet of extractable gas. The gas is in a separate reservoir than the nearby Noras field.

A senior source in the oil industry told Daily News Egypt that the drilling of the first well, Baltim SW 1, has been completed, noting that each well requires a drilling time of two and a half months.

The drilling of the Baltim SW 1 reached a depth of 4,000 metres, which included 25 metres of water.

Israel's Delek Group in talks to sell 87 MW power plant for $52 mln - REUTERS

Tue Jul 19, 2016 10:26am GMT

JERUSALEM, July 19 (Reuters) - Israeli conglomerate Delek Group said on Tuesday it is in advanced talks to sell an 87 megawatt power plant to a group of investors for about 200 million shekels ($52 million).

The plant is located in the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon, adjacent to a huge desalination plant in which Delek is also a partner.

In a statement to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Delek described the potential buyers only as a "group of institutional and private investors". ($1 = 3.8590 shekels) (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch)

State Department’s energy envoy sees Greece as potential gas entry point - KATHIMERINI

18.07.2016 : 19:45
VASSILIS NEDOS

Amos Hochstein, the US State Department’s special envoy on energy, has been a regular visitor to Athens in the past few years and in his most recent trip this month he met last week with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

With the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) deal already signed, the terminal station in Alexandroupoli in northern Greece in the final stretch and the Greece-Bulgaria interconnecting pipeline (IBG) under way, Hochstein tells Kathimerini that Greece could become the entrance point for natural gas coming from the US and the Eastern Mediterranean.

The American official believes that the South Stream pipeline is a political scheme that will only benefit Russia and calls for a stop to plans for the North Stream II pipeline, arguing that it will have a negative economic and political impact on counties like Ukraine and Slovakia.

Lebanon to issue offshore gas exploration permits - GLOBES

18/07/2016, 18:50, Hedy Cohen

The Lebanese press reports that Lebanon will open its waters for new oil and gas exploration permits. One of the permits Lebanon intends to issue is still being contested by Israel.
In March 2013, Lebanon initiated a preliminary vetting process for gas companies which want to operate in the country. 12 international operators have passed this stage as well as 34 more non-operator firms. While Lebanon intended to provide ten offshore permits, the state's regulatory and political instability has led to delays with their issuing.

A source with connections in Lebanon's Ministry of Energy and Water told "Globes" that the discovery of Egypt's gas fields last year, as well as the Israel-Turkey reconciliation agreement (expected to promote a gas deal between the states), has led the ministry to push forward for an early publication of the permits during the last two weeks.

Russia extends sympathy to potential energy partner Turkey - UPI

Vladimir Putin keeping close tabs on government stability in Turkey.
Photo courtesy of Russian Ministry of Defence

Energy company Gazprom had proposed a string of gas pipelines through Turkish territory.

By Daniel J. Graeber

MOSCOW, July 18 2016 (UPI) -- The Russian government views an attempt to undermine the government of its key energy trading partner Turkey as unacceptable, President Vladimir Putin said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed revenge late Sunday during mourning for the 290 people left dead after last week's failed coup attempt. At least 6,000 people, including more than a dozen of the country's top military generals, were arrested in connection with the putsch.

Putin said in a statement he was expecting to meet personally with the Turkish president to discuss bilateral affairs.

"He expressed words of sympathy to President Erdogan over the numerous deaths, both among civilians and law enforcement officers who stood against the plotters, and expressed his hope that constitutional order and stability will be restored in Turkey as soon as possible," a statement from the president's office read.

Energy perspectives after Turkey's failed coup - NATURAL GAS EUROPE

July 16th, 2016

Turkey’s failed military coup mid-July raises a host of questions concerning the country’s stability, its investment climate and the future of gas deliveries to and though Turkey. It may also boost the prospects for a revival of the stalled Turkish Stream project to deliver Russian gas to Europe via Turkey.

For gas, there are two main issues to be considered: the security of the current and future import pipelines; and the possibility that the aftermath of the coup might prompt a re-think of future gas import projects.

Turkey relies massively on imported gas to meet its energy needs, with most coming via four major import pipelines: the 15bn m³/yr eastern Balkans line via Ukraine – a system which Russia has said it intends to close by the end of 2019; the 15bn m³/yr capacity Blue Stream pipeline across the Black Sea from Russia; the 6.6bn m³/yr Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) system from Azerbaijan; and the 10bn m³/yr capacity line that brings Iranian gas across the border at Dogubayezit.

All quiet on Egypt’s LNG export front until after 2020 - INTERFAX

A jetty at Egypt’s Idku LNG plant (BG Group)

By Rachel Williamson, 15 July 2016 9:26 GMT

Industry sources from inside and outside Egypt are confident the country can resume exporting LNG by the end of the decade. However, they have warned that the number of cargoes shipped from Idku will not rise out of single digits per year before then.

A source from Egypt’s Ministry of Energy, who wished to remain anonymous, said he expected LNG exports to resume after 2020.

He said occasional cargoes – such as the two sent this year from the only Idku train that remains operational – would continue, but they would not be regular.

First Lebanon offshore round on horizon - OE OFFSHORE ENGINEER

Written by OE Staff Friday, 15 July 2016 03:24

Offshore exploration could soon be on the agenda in Lebanon after the country's Prime Minister Tamam Salam was asked to place what would be the first licensing round on the agenda of cabinet meetings as soon as possible.

The intention is to open up the offshore blocks to tender and ultimately award two or three blocks, depending on the quality of the offers which are received, says geoscience firm Spectrum.

The next step in re-starting Lebanon’s First Licensing Round is for the Lebanese government to approve two pending decrees, one delineating the Lebanese offshore area into 10 blocks and the second setting out the tender protocol and the model exploration and production agreement (EPA) to be signed between the government and successful bidders.

Will Israeli natural gas flow in Egypt’s pipelines? - DAILY NEWS EGYPT

A recent visit by Egypt’s Foreign Minister could signal potential cooperation between Israel and Egypt in the eastern Mediterranean gas fields. However, given domestic market needs mixed with a complicated history in Egypt-Israel business relations in the energy sector, the future remains unclear

Mohamed Samir, July 14, 2016

In a rare trip, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry paid Israel a visit on Sunday, marking Egypt’s first high-level official visit in almost a decade. While pundits antagonise whether this may be a sign of warmer relations between Israel and Egypt, the latter continues to face an ongoing energy crisis.

While Egypt’s energy crisis may be a domestic concern, a long history of cooperation between Israel and Egypt over gas imports and exports raises questions of whether such a topic was broached during conversations between Shoukry and the Israelis.

Petrobel to increase Nooros field production to 700 mcf/d in September - ENERGY EGYPT / ENTERPRISE.PRESS

July 14, 2016

The Nooros field production is expected to increase to 700 mcf/d following the completion of drilling by September, field general manager Hassan Fouad told Al Borsa.

The Nooros field is an important gas discovery owned by Eni and BP, and was drilled by Petrobel, a joint venture between Eni subsidiary IEOC and EGPC. Current Nooros production levels are at 300 mcf/d in additional to 3k bbl of condensates from four completed development wells, he added.

Egypt- Power plants' gas consumption rises to 3.4bn cubic feet a day: Petroleum Ministry - MENAFN / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

14/07/2016

In the past week, power plants' consumption of natural gas reached about 3.4bn cubic feet per day compared to 3.3bn cubic feet as a result of high temperatures.

A source at the Ministry of Petroleum told Daily News Egypt that the power plants receive 30,000 tonnes of fuel oil per day as well as 4,000 tonnes of diesel.

He said that gas imports through the two floating natural gas import terminals at Ain Sokhna Port and the Jordan gas line have increased to reach 1.3bn cubic feet per day, which is the maximum capacity for gas imports. The gas imports are made up of 1.2bn cubic feet coming from the terminals in Ain Sokhna and 100m cubic feet coming from the floating natural gas import terminal at Aqaba Port in Jordan.

Egypt- Shell's dues increase to $1.1bn in return for its share from El-Borollos, Rasheed gas fields - MENAFN / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

13/07/2016

(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) The dues owed to British Gas (BG) and Dutch company Shell by the Ministry of Petroleum have increased to 1.1bn, compared to 1bn in April, in return for the partner's share in the produced gas from El-Borollos and Rasheed fields.

A source close to government negotiations said the government is taking the share of its partner, Shell, from the gas of El-Borollos and Rasheed, worth approximately 50m, but cannot pay all of it due to the US dollar crisis currently facing Egypt.

The source explained that the Ministry of Petroleum failed to fulfil its promise to its partner, which is to pay 400m from BG's dues in June 2016. The reasoning could be tied to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) not providing the amount following the decrease of the Egyptian pound against the price of the US dollar.

Israel's monopoly faces class action - NATURAL GAS EUROPE

July 12th, 2016

An Israeli District Court will decide in the next few days whether to approve a class action against the Israeli gas monopoly. The class action was submitted by two advocates, Gillad Barnea and Yitzhak Yaari, who are demanding that the gas monopoly repays NIS2.5bn ($640mn) for every year of gas supply to electricity customers because of exorbitant pricing of natural gas.

The class action was submitted in 2014. The plaintiffs argued that the partners exploited their monopolistic position to sell gas at two or three times the fair price and in doing so have broken the anti-trust law.

Reopening Libya oil ports is newly unified NOC’s ‘top’ priority - WORLD OIL

By SALMA EL WARDANY on 7/11/2016

TRIPOLI (Bloomberg) -- Libya’s state crude producer is seeking to reopen oil ports and restore crude output as the fractured OPEC nation struggles to reunite after five years of civil strife, according to its chairman.

Four ports accounting for about 860,000 bpd in crude exporting capacity have been shut due to political turmoil and fighting. Libya now produces a fraction of the 1.6 MMbopd that it pumped before the toppling of ruler Moammar Al Qaddafi in 2011. A July 2 deal uniting the National Oil Corp.’s rival administrations enables the company to focus on reviving Libya’s crippled oil industry, Chairman Sanalla Ibrahim said.

Zohr gas reserves increase to 32tn cubic feet: EGAS - DAILY NEWS EGYPT

July 11, 2016, Mohamed Adel 
Indicators for the second well revealed larger reserves; six wells to be drilled in total at a cost of $100m each
The primary indicators of Zohr field’s second well, developed by Italian company Eni, show an increase in gas reserves owing to the discovery of a gas-carrying layer that is larger than that found in the first well.

These results indicate an increase in production to 250m cubic feet per day compared to the initial test results of 150m cubic feet in the concession area of Egypt’s territorial waters in the Mediterranean Sea.

Turkish Stream: Still only a dream

July 11th, 2016

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on June 30 that he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had agreed to restore bilateral ties between their two countries. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev followed the announcement with his own statement that economic sanctions against Turkey would be removed “on a gradual basis.”

Meanwhile, plans to build a natural gas pipeline—known as Turkish Stream—under the Black Sea to bypass Ukraine remain on hold. Russia halted negotiations on Turkish Stream after Turkey shot down a Russian jet on the Syrian border on November 24, 2015. The originally planned 1,100-kilometer pipeline would consist of four lines designed to transport sixty-three billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas annually. Sixteen bcm was destined for the Turkish domestic market, while the remaining forty-seven bcm was for the European market. Combined with the Nord Stream pipeline, Turkish Stream would have eliminated the need for Gazprom—Russia’s chief energy giant—to use Ukrainian pipelines to supply the European market.

Egyptian Foreign Minister in Israel to discuss gas exports - GLOBES

10/07/2016, 18:28
Nadav Shetreet

The visit by Sameh Shoukry is the first to Israel by an Egyptian foreign minister in nine years.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is arriving today on a visit to Israel, ending a nine-year period without any visits to the country by the Egyptian foreign minister. Talks about natural gas exports to Egypt and regional cooperation in building joint infrastructure for gas exports to Asia or Europe are scheduled.

Letters of intent for exports of Israeli gas to Egypt have already been signed. One deal was to have made possible the expanded development of the Tamar gas reservoir, and the second to facilitate the development of the Leviathan reservoir, because Egypt was regarded as the anchor customer for Leviathan. Several changes in the regional gas sector, however, have changed the situation completely, including Egypt's improving situation, the low level of global gas prices (the partial recovery in global oil prices has not affected gas prices), and the acquisition of British Gas by Royal Dutch Shell.

Cyprus’ ever-changing gas policy - CYPRUS MAIL

Cyprus' existing oil storage terminal (VTTV)

July 10th, 2016 - by Angelos Anastasiou

When the Anastasiades government took office on March 1, 2013, one of the first things Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis did was announce a roadmap for the development of Cyprus’ natural gas reserves.

The development plan placed the signing of “long-term” contracts for the sale of liquefied natural gas in the second half of 2014, preliminary indications of quantities in reserves other than ‘Aphrodite’ (or ‘plot 12’) in 2014, and a “final investment decision” on the construction of a natural gas liquefaction terminal in Cyprus by the third quarter of 2015.

More than three years on, not one of the above boxes has been ticked.