Egypt- Zohr gas condensates production increases to 4,000 tonnes per day - MENAFN / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

APRIL/20/2019 7:17:08 PM

(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) [The source] pointed out that completing the development of the second phase of Zohr will take place in June, increasing the total production capacity to 2.7bn scf/day.

He added that Eni aims to invest about $4bn in the development of the second phase of Zohr this year, increasing the company's total investments in the project to $16bn.

The source stressed that the ministry of petroleum seeks to speed up the implementation of the next phase of Zohr upon the directives of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to speed up connecting the project's production to the national grid.

Israel's Natural Gas Discoveries Are Bridging Political Divides And Are Forging Economic Ties - FORBES

Apr 18, 2019, 08:16am
Ken Silverstein

Even more natural gas has been found off Israel’s coastline, which may help shift the global energy paradigm. Greek oil and gas developer Energean has discovered what it says is between 28-42 billion cubic meters of natural gas, all on top of the 67 billion cubic meters that it has already located.

The discovery comes atop earlier ones a decade ago that are getting tapped and will be eventually distributed to former adversaries of Israel: Jordan and Egypt. And there are also plans to sell the natural gas to Turkey, Greece and Cyprus. Indeed, if Israel blossoms into a regional energy powerhouse, it could have profound implications for geopolitics — and possibly extend as far as East as Iraq.

East Med Gas Forum ‘evolving into international organisation’ - CYPRUS MAIL

APRIL 18 2019 

ELIAS HAZOU

The East Med Gas Forum (EMGF) will be meeting again in June with the purpose of evolving into an international organisation, energy minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said Thursday.

Speaking at the 9th Nicosia Economic Congress, Lakkotryrpis said that he hoped the forum – consisting of Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories – will take the form of an international organisation.

The forum is necessary in order for eastern Mediterranean gas to be competitive, while member states are discussing issues such as the preferred infrastructure for the optimal exploitation of hydrocarbons wealth.

The region faces many “challenges,” Lakkotrypis said, which is one of the reasons why the United States and the EU support are supporting the EMGF as observers.

'Whole new day' for Cyprus' relationship with US, says senator - KATHIMERINI

16.04.2019 : 11:35

Cyprus is in a position to “find a whole new day in its relationship with the United States and with the West,” US Senator Robert Menendez said during a visit to Nicosia on Tuesday.

The New Jersey senator's comments came after he held informal talks with Cyprus President Nikos Anastasiades during a visit that comes a week after he announced a bipartisan bill seeking to lift the US arms embargo on Cyprus, which has been in place since 1987.

The discussion with Anastasiades was “excellent, extensive and very positive,” Menendez said, according to Cypriot media.

“We talked about many important subjects; the Eastern Mediterranean’s security strategy and energy strategy, Cyprus’ continuous engagement with the United States, questions of our foreign policy in the region, economic questions, the changing dynamics of Cyprus in its banking zone,” the US senator was reported as saying.

Ambassador Pyatt’s Remarks at the 2nd Energy Union Leaders Academy Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation - US EMBASSY ATHENS GREECE

Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation

Panorama City Hall

April 12, 2019, 16:00

Let me start this short address by thanking the Greek Energy Forum and the American College of Thessaloniki for organizing this “Energy Union Future Leaders” Academy, bringing together young leaders from 18 countries to discuss the opportunities and challenges in the vitally important energy sector. I can’t think of a better location for this event than Thessaloniki, exactly at the moment that northern Greece is reestablishing its role as the commercial and energy hub of the Balkans. I’m also especially glad that this is happening on the campus of Anatolia College, which is really one of the hidden gems of the U.S. legacy of support in northern Greece, and I’m delighted to be on the campus on such a beautiful day.

Two of the Academy’s main objectives are the promotion of energy diversification and energy security, which happen to mirror priorities of the United States government. And I think the energy security of our European partners and allies has been a longstanding priority for the United States, but it’s only over the past few years, that Greece has become a real leader in these efforts. I know that the Greek Minister of Energy, Minister Stathakis, heard this message very clearly from our Secretary of State and our Secretary of Energy when he was in Houston last month, and Secretary Pompeo repeated a similar message when he recently participated in the first 3+1 summit meeting in Jerusalem with Prime Ministers Netanyahu, Anastasiadis, and Tsipras.

Significant New Gas Discovery at Karish North - ENERGEAN OIL & GAS

London, 15 April 2019 - Energean Oil and Gas plc (LSE: ENOG, TASE: אנאג) the oil and gas producer focused on the Mediterranean, is pleased to announce that the Karish North exploration well has made a significant gas discovery.

Preliminary analysis indicates:

• Initial gas in place estimates of between 1 Tcf (28 Bcm) and 1.5 Tcf (42 Bcm).
• High quality reservoir in the B and C sands.

The well reached an intermediate TD of 4,880 meters approximately 7 days ahead of schedule. A gross hydrocarbon column of up to 249 meters was encountered and a 27 meter core was recovered to surface. Further evaluation will now be undertaken to further refine resource potential and determine the liquids content of the discovery.

Drilling of the initial phase of the Karish North well is now complete. As planned, Energean will now deepen the well to evaluate hydrocarbon potential at the D4 horizon.

Once operations are completed on Karish North, the Stena DrillMAX will return to drilling the three Karish Main development wells. Following this four well programme, Energean has six drilling options remaining on its contract with Stena Drilling. 

The Karish North discovery will be commercialised via a tie-back to the Energean Power FPSO, which is located 5.4km from the Karish North well. The FPSO is being built with total processing and export capacity of 8 Bcm/yr (775 mmcf/d), which will enable Karish North, and future discoveries, to be monetised. 

‘We will no longer accept Turkey’s aggression’ - CYPRUS MAIL

APRIL 14, 2019

KATY TURNER

The US senator that introduced a bill in the Senate that covers concerns of Cyprus has said “We made it clear that we will no longer accept Turkey’s aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean region”.

Speaking to Phileleftheros on Sunday, Democratic senator Robert Menendez, of New Jersey, who heads the Democratic Group in the powerful International Relations Committee, underlined his interest and support for Cyprus.

He also stressed that the Americans “have to do more – we need to increase the support that will allow Greece to fulfill its commitments under NATO” and to lift the arms embargo against the Republic of Cyprus.

In 1987 the US placed restrictions on the transfer of arms and defensive material to Cyprus in an attempt to encourage reunification efforts and to avoid an arms race on the island.

Menendez and Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio submitted the bill aimed at lifting the embargo on the sale of arms to Cyprus, US security relations with Cyprus and Greece, and enhancing energy security in the region this week.

Greece, Cyprus, Jordan cement East Med Gas Forum relationship - NEW EUROPE

APRIL 12, 2019, 20:48
Kostis Geropoulos

Closer cooperation among the countries of the region can only add to peace and stability – much needed in the East Med.
ATHENS – The leaders of Greece, Cyprus and Jordan will hold a trilateral summit in Amman on 14 April to expand cooperation in the East Mediterranean region, which has strategic significance in the areas of energy and security.

In the second summit between Greece, Cyprus and Jordan, the leaders will focus on means to expand cooperation between the three countries in various fields, mainly economy and investment, and building on the outcomes of the first summit hosted by Cyprus in January 2018 where the three parties signed several agreements, including renewable energy.

(Former) Natural Hydrocarbons Company CEO Charles Ellinas told New Europe on 12 April that the summit would boost energy and security partnership in the region.

Cyprus mulls ratification of Lebanon EEZ delineation agreement - KNEWS / KATHIMERINI

11 APRIL 2019 - 10:49

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Energy Nikos Christodoulides and Giorgos Lakkotrypis are in Beirut for meetings with their Lebanese counterparts as Cyprus seeks to strengthen cooperation with Lebanon in the field of energy and energy security.

Christodoulides said that one of the issues that is high on the agenda is the outstanding issue of ratifying the agreement on the delineation of the limits of the exclusive economic zones between Cyprus and Lebanon.

To this end, he added, he will have a meeting with the President of the Lebanese Parliament.

Christodoulides expressed the hope that tomorrow, there will be a preliminary agreement to start talks on a cooperation framework with Lebanon, similar to the one agreed with Egypt.

Referring to the tripartite ministerial meeting between Cyprus, Greece and Lebanon, he described it as historic.

Repsol and Hellenic Petroleum partner on offshore Greece exploration - OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

10 APRIL 2019

Spanish energy company Repsol and Greece-based Hellenic Petroleum have signed lease agreements to conduct exploration in two offshore blocks in Greece.

The joint venture (JV) of the two companies will conduct oil and gas exploration in an offshore block in the Ionian Sea. Hellenic Petroleum will also carry out exploration in another block off the Peloponnese peninsula.

Reuters reported that the two blocks are situated in the western region of the country, an under-explored area with very little information on its hydrocarbon potentiality.

The agreement comes at a time when Greece is working to bolster its oil and gas sector with major discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Hellenic also has rights to explore oil and gas in other offshore and onshore areas of the country, with plans to conduct the first test drilling off the Peloponnese peninsula in 2020.

“A big round of lease agreements for the exploration and development of hydrocarbons is closing with these two agreements we are signing today.”

Trump's energy dominance agenda hinges on Egypt - WASHINGTON EXAMINER

April 10, 2019 11:59 AM

John Siciliano & Josh Siegel

President Trump needs Egypt’s economy to grow up fast if he wants his vision of “energy dominance” to come into full force, seeing that the North African country is a key lynchpin in the global oil market, yet in desperate need of infrastructure investment.

At Tuesday’s meetings at the White House, Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi discussed a new, loosely organized natural gas collaboration between Egypt, Israel and Southern Europe as necessary for the two countries’ ambitions.

“One of the things we’ve been particularly encouraged by over the course of recent years is the increasing leadership role the Egyptians are playing in terms of developing the [natural] gas assets in the Eastern Mediterranean, which has been a very productive area of cooperation,” said a senior White House official with the National Security Council ahead of the meeting.

Trump wants Al-Sissi to use Egypt’s newfound natural gas discoveries to modernize the country’s economy and upgrade the global trade infrastructure at the Suez Canal.

Exxon Is in Talks Over Floating LNG Partnership in Israel - BLOOMBERG

April 10, 2019, 8:59 PM GMT+3Yaacov Benmeleh

• Project reflects Exxon’s growing ambitions in East Med region
• Talks come as unofficial energy boycott on Israel seen fading

Exxon Mobil Corp. is in discussions to build a platform that would expand the export reach of Israel’s biggest natural gas field, according to people familiar with the matter. Israeli gas stocks rose.

The world’s largest publicly-traded oil and gas company is in talks with the firms developing Israel’s Leviathan reservoir to build a floating liquefied natural gas ship, the people said, requesting anonymity because the matter is private. Such a project would allow the Leviathan partners to export to countries not reachable with pipelines and avoid the need to build expensive infrastructure to connect to LNG facilities in Egypt.

It’s possible the discussions ultimately won’t lead to a partnership, the people cautioned. An Exxon representative declined to comment on its intentions in Israel. The company recently made a major gas discovery nearby, off the coast of Cyprus.

“It’s too early to comment on specific development and production timelines” for the Cyprus discovery, the representative said.

Despite considerable gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean region over the past decade, viable export routes have proven tough to find and global energy firms haven’t rushed in. 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.

Aphrodite gas talks at ‘advanced stage’ - CYPRUS MAIL

APRIL 9, 2019 

ELIAS HAZOU

The Cyprus Hydrocarbons Company (CHC) is in “advanced talks” with Noble Energy and its partners over the renegotiation of the production-sharing contract for the Aphrodite gas reservoir, the organisation’s chairman said on Tuesday.

Toula Onoufriou was speaking to reporters after a meeting with President Nicos Anastasiades, where she handed over a report recapping the CHC’s activities over the past five years.

Other major challenges going forward, she said, included ongoing negotiations for a gas sale agreement between the Aphrodite partners and buyers in Egypt.

There is also the matter of awarding an exploration licence for block 7. Last October the government invited bids from companies already licensed to explore offshore Cyprus to express an interest in the block. Energy companies Total and ENI applied.

According to Onoufriou, over the next period of time energy companies will be informing the government of their plans and timetables to drill offshore Cyprus. This would include exploratory as well as appraisal drilling.

Energean Oil and Gas successfully completes drilling at EA-H3 in the north - ENERGY PRESS

08/APRIL/2019

Energean Oil and Gas, the oil and gas producer focused on the Mediterranean, has successfully completed its drilling operations of the extended reach well, EA-H3, in northern Greece, the company has announced.

The well was brought into production on April 1 and is currently producing at a stable dry oil rate of more than 1,000 bopd on a restricted choke, Energean noted.

The well was drilled to a total measured depth of 5,679 meters and has penetrated 689 meters of the Epsilon sandstone reservoir, in line with pre-drill expectations, Energean informed, adding it will continue to monitor and finetune production parameters to ensure optimal production from the well.

Noble Energy Wins Big Gas Deal From Israel Electric Corporation - HAARETZ

Apr 08, 2019 4:27 AM

Eran Azran

Israel Electric awarded the deal to the partners in the Leviathan gas field over the Tamar field partners

It was Yitzhak Tshuva and Noble Energy competing against Yitzhak Tshuva and Noble Energy for a giant contract to supply the Israel Electric Corporation with natural gas. One side bid to supply the gas at a price of $4.78 per thousand cubic feet and the other put in a bid for $4.78, too.

In the end, no surprise, the winners, who were revealed on Sunday, were Yitzhak Tshuva and Noble Energy with a bid of $4.78, although it in the end the two rivals may split the contract.

That strange bidding process was possible because on one side, there were the partners who control the Tamar gas field, which include Noble, Tshuva’s Delek Drilling and Isramco, and the other side were the partners who control the Leviathan field, which include Noble, Delek Drilling and Ratio.

State-owned IEC said it opted for Leviathan’s identically priced bid because it was seeking to diversify its sources of natural gas, which is now supplied exclusively by Tamar. Tamar will lose a major part of its sales to IEC because the Leviathan contract will replace much of the gas Tamar is now supplying.

Egypt, Jordan sign agreement for operation, maintenance of natgas pipeline - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 7 April 2019

Egypt and Jordan signed on Friday a long-term contract to operate and maintain Jordan’s natural gas pipeline, according to an Oil Ministry statement. 

State energy companies Enppi and Petrojet are also currently working on a project to expand the natural gas network in Jordan, which should be inaugurated this October, Minister Tarek El Molla previously said.

Egypt’s gas exports can give it a foreign policy edge, petroleum minister says - CNBC

SAT, APR 6 2019 • 10:33 AM EDT

• Cairo is expected to become a net gas exporter by the end of 2019.
• Energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie estimates that Egypt’s existing fields have gas reserves of 61 trillion cubic feet, with a further 45 trillion cubic feet yet to be discovered.

Egypt’s goal to be a net gas exporter by the end of this year will strengthen it politically, Egypt’s petroleum minister said Saturday, stressing the opportunities for growth that would come from the recently-launched Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum.

“We cannot deny that if we are able to have our own energy this will give us some — not independence but let us say some strength, edge,” Tarek el Molla told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa in Amman, Jordan.

The minister was speaking in response to a question about many Middle Eastern countries’ reliance on their wealthier Gulf patrons like Saudi Arabia — and the fact that economic support from the Gulf also often means forfeiting independence in the foreign policy arena.

Lebanon launches its second offshore oil & gas licensing round - MIDDLE EAST STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES

April 5, 2019

The cabinet approved the launching of Lebanon’s second offshore oil & gas licensing round in its latest session on April 4, 2019. Energy Minister Nada Boustani officially announced the launching of the tender in a press conference on April 5.

Five blocks are on offer: Blocks 1 and 2 in the northern part of Lebanon’s Exclusive Economic Zone, Blocks 8 and 10 in the south, and Block 5 in the middle of the EEZ.

As in the first licensing round, interested companies must form a consortium of at least three companies, one of which an operator, to place bids. The deadline to place bids is on January 31, 2020.

The Lebanese Petroleum Administration has recently announced some changes to the process. The tender won’t be preceded by a separate pre-qualification round, as in the first licensing round. The pre-qualification round will be mainstreamed in the process, giving companies more time to consider participating. The evaluation of pre-qualification applications will take place in the first weeks of February 2020, with pre-qualification results expected to be announced on the third week of February. It will be followed with the evaluation of submitted bids, a step that should be completed by mid-March 2020. Negotiations with the provisional winners will then take place, and if results are satisfactory, the Council of Ministers would be expected to approve the licensing by mid-April 2020.

Greece's Hellenic Petroleum sell-off stalls as no bids made - REUTERS

APRIL 3, 2019 / 7:03 PM
Angeliki Koutantou

• Glencore/CIEP and Vitol/Sonatrach were shortlisted
• 50.1 pct stake in Hellenic worth about $1.5 bln
• Privatisation agency’s board to discuss next steps 

ATHENS, April 3 (Reuters) - No binding bids have been submitted for a majority stake in Greece’s biggest oil refiner Hellenic Petroleum, dealing a blow to a key part of a planned sell-off of state assets mandated by international bailouts.

Switzerland-based commodities trader and miner Glencore had teamed up with CIEP Participations, and Vitol, the world’s largest oil trader, with Algeria’s Sonatrach after they were shortlisted to bid for a 50.1 percent stake in Hellenic.

Greece’s privatisation agency said the lack of bids was “due to reasons related to the short-listed parties and recent developments in the international environment that affect the consortia.” It did not elaborate.

Israel Electric Corp. Passed Up $1.3b to Let Delek, Noble Export Gas to Egypt - HAARETZ

Apr 03, 2019 5:21 AM

Ora Coren

The utility took an 85% haircut on Egyptian gas companies’ debt, saying this was 'important from a diplomatic standpoint'

The Israel Electric Corporation voluntarily gave up $1.3 billion in compensation after Egypt reneged on a gas-sale contract in order to let private-sector companies – led by Israel’s Delek and Houston-based Noble Energy – export Israeli gas to Egypt.

The electricity utility took an 85% haircut on the Egyptian gas companies’ debt, and intentionally did not inform the public, it emerged on Tuesday.

The IEC argued that its approach was “important from a diplomatic standpoint,” the Government Companies Authority said.

The agreement with the Egyptian gas companies came after two years of secret negotiations, after they reneged following the unrest in the country in 2011.

The companies had been ordered to pay the IEC $1.76 billion, not including interest and linkages due to inflation, under an international arbitration agreement.

Greece’s DEPA to Begin Selling Natural Gas to Bulgaria - GREEK REPORTER

Apr 3, 2019Tasos Kokkinidis

Greek energy provider DEPA on Tuesday became the first Western company to strike a deal with Bulgaria’s state-owned Bulgargaz to provide natural gas to the country.

This is the first time Bulgaria has ever bought gas from another provider outside its long-term contract with Russia’s Gazprom. Currently, more than 95 percent of the Balkan country’s gas needs are met by supplies from Gazprom, and the product is delivered through a pipeline which crosses Ukraine, Moldova and Romania.

Bulgargaz will complete the purchase of 1.5 million megawatt hours of fuel from DEPA in the second quarter, pumping the gas into its Chiren underground storage facility, the company said on Tuesday.

Bulgargaz said DEPA had offered the lowest price in a tender in which the state provider also received offers from Bulgaria’s Dexia Company and the Dutch-registered Kolmar NL.

The deal was hailed by the United States Ambassador to Athens Geoffrey Pyatt, who tweeted that the development was “another welcome example of Greece’s growing role as a facilitator of European energy diversification.”

ELPE, seeing growth, to reopen northern pipeline late this year - ENERGY PRESS

02/APRIL/2019

An oil pipeline stretching 213 kilometers from an ELPE (Hellenic Petroleum) facility in Thessaloniki to its Okta company refinery and storage facility in the Republic of North Macedonia is expected to be reopened towards the end of this year, roughly six years after the Greek petroleum group shut it down.

The matter has been included on the agenda for a meeting in Skopje today between officials from both sides of the border, led by their respective heads of state, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his North Macedonian peer Zoran Zaev. The two leaders have agreed to sign a series of bilateral agreements and memorandums of cooperation.

Swift progress is being sought in efforts to finalize a customs agreement, align the oil pipeline plan with EU standards and facilitate its licensing.

ELPE intends to utilize the relaunched oil pipeline to transport fuel, especially diesel, in annual quantities of around one million metric tons, far greater than the total consumption in North Macedonia for exports to Bulgaria, Serbia and Kosovo, besides local sales.

Petrobras to Bid in Israeli Gas Tender - OFFSHORE ENGINEER

April 1, 2019

Israel's energy minister said on Sunday that Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras will take part in a tender to explore for oil and gas off Israel's shore, Reuters reports.

"It was agreed that Petrobras ... will take part in a process of oil and gas exploration in Israel," Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Army Radio as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro began a visit to Israel.

A previous auction elicited bids from only two groups of companies, but prospects in the waters offshore Israel have become potentially more lucrative following a number of large gas discoveries offshore Israel and in nearby eastern Mediterranean in the last decade.

Israel will tender 19 new offshore blocks, and the energy ministry said it expects more oil and gas companies to compete this time as conditions have improved.

ExxonMobil is reportedly considering bidding in the auction.

Dana Gas receives a further $19m from Egypt - ARABIAN BUSINESS

Sun 31 Mar 2019 12:58 PM

The payment is part of the government's ongoing efforts to reduce their receivables position to zero in 2019

In 2018, Dana made good progress in reducing its outstanding balance of overdue receivables.

UAE-based natural gas company Dana Gas has received a payment of $19 million (AED 70 million) from its operations in Egypt.

The payment was made up of a $10 million payment from the government in Egyptian pounds and $9 million from the sale of a shipment of El Wastani condensate.

The payment is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to reduce their receivables position to zero in 2019.

In 2018, Dana made good progress in reducing its outstanding balance of overdue receivables. As at 31 December 2018, the net receivables position reduced by 39% to $140 million, the lowest level since 2011.

NOC, Eni sign agreement to boost gas production - THE LIBYA OBSERVER

March 29, 2019 - 14:20

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) and Italian oil major Eni signed on March 25 two memoranda of understanding (MoU), at NOC’s Tripoli headquarters. The first concerned the establishment of a steering committee to expedite gas production at structures ‘A’ and ‘E’ within maritime concession MN 41 in the Sabratha marine basin.

The steering committee will oversee the timely and transparent implementation of this project, in line with best-practice good governance, and will work to alleviate difficulties facing project implementation. This important strategic project will provide gas to meet both local consumption and export requirements. Once complete, project capacity from both structures will total 760 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

The second MoU agrees to jointly fund capacity building programmes for industrial security staff at NOC and Mellitah Oil and Gas Company (MOGCO), with workshops focusing on risk assessment and mitigation, crisis management, and comprehensive field inspection procedures.

During the signing ceremony, Eng. Sanalla commented: “Eni is one of NOC’s strategic partners and one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, renowned for its expertise and technological capabilities that we seek to bring to Libya. Our sector is the backbone of the national economy - we should preserve it for future generations. We have to work on developing the sector in order to increase production and fuel development.”

Cyprus, Greece, Israel alliance serves US interests - KATHIMERINI

28.03.2019 : 08:20

ENDY ZEMENIDES, DAVID HARRIS

Long ago, the Mediterranean was known as the Middle Sea, because for centuries it provided the principal means of communication between empires and civilizations. Today’s Mediterranean is reclaiming much of that historic legacy.

The limitless potential of the region was on full display during the sixth trilateral summit between Cyprus, Greece and Israel that took place in Jerusalem last week. The gathering was especially noteworthy because the United States, represented by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, also participated for the first time.

American strategic interests face challenges around the Eastern Mediterranean basin. The Shia-Sunni divide that has helped put the Middle East in even deeper turmoil is playing out on its shores, with the involvement of both state and non-state actors.

Turkey – once a paragon of stability and a source of great optimism for many in the West – has become increasingly authoritarian and unreliable. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strong-arm leadership has turned a “zero problems with neighbors” foreign policy into one where Ankara has zero neighbors with which it doesn’t have problems.

Egypt puts eased rules for energy companies to use their production share from new Red Sea concessions - ENTERPRISE

Wednesday, 27 March 2019

Companies awarded concessions in Red Sea bid round can sell at home or abroad: The South Valley Egyptian Petroleum Holding Company (Ganope) will allow companies awarded concessions in the ongoing Red Sea bid round to decide what to do with their share of output, Al Shorouk reports. Companies looking to sell natural gas to third parties inside Egypt will be required to get approvals from Ganope, EGAS, and EGPC, as well as further approvals from the oil minister on the quantities, price, and sales contract. Any exports of natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from these concessions will also require ministerial sign-off on the quantities and price.

Background: Egypt launched a tender earlier this month for 10 oil and gas exploration blocks off the Red Sea coast under a new production sharing contract, according to a Ganope statement (pdf). The Oil Ministry has been reportedly planning to roll out new production sharing contracts with friendlier terms for international oil companies this quarter.

Israeli Gas Partners in Talks to Boost Supply to Egypt - BLOOMBERG

March 26, 2019, 3:51 PM GMT+2
Yaacov Benmeleh

• Delek CEO was recently in Cairo to discuss new gas quantities
• Shares of Delek climb the most in nearly 3 months on the news

The companies developing Israel’s largest natural gas field are in discussions to increase the amount of supply to Egypt beyond the $15 billion deal inked last year. Shares of Israeli gas stocks rose.

Executives at Delek Drilling LP, the majority shareholder in the Leviathan reservoir, have been in Cairo in recent weeks to discuss how to boost quantities for Egypt’s domestic consumption, Chief Executive Officer Yossi Abu said Tuesday at an investor conference in Tel Aviv. Delek and its partners Noble Energy Inc. and Ratio Oil Exploration 1992 LP are examining ways to increase the field’s capacity to meet an expected increase in Egyptian demand, he said.

FM outlines Cyprus’ vision to establish a regional security and cooperation organisation - IN-CYPRUS PHILELEFTHEROS

March 25, 2019 at 8:45am
Edited by Andreas Nicolaides

Foreign Minister, Nikos Christodoulides, outlined Cyprus’ vision to establish an organization of security and cooperation in the region, speaking on Sunday in Washington, during a discussion held in the framework of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference.

He said that Cyprus’ vision is to create a regional security and cooperation organisation, with the participation of all like-minded countries, in the framework of which all regional matters of cooperation will be discussed.

Secretary General of the Organization of American States Luis Almagro and AIPAC’s International Affairs Director Stephen Schneider coordinated the discussion.

Replying to a question the Cypriot Foreign Minister set out the framework of relations between Cyprus and Israel, as a threefold one.

On the bilateral level, he noted the close cooperation between the two countries, which extends beyond the energy sector to matters of security, technology and health. He added that contact between their peoples is also enhanced.

Pompeo and circumstance won't make EastMed pipeline a reality - THE JERUSALEM POST

MARCH 25, 2019 00:04 
GABRIEL MITCHELL 

The reduced presence of the US Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean coincided with increased maritime tensions across the region.

With the Purim holiday last week, many took a break from the country’s exhausting election cycle. But for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Wednesday evening was an opportunity to reinforce his position as Israel’s leading statesman. 

Hosting the sixth trilateral summit between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, Netanyahu hoped special guest US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would deliver a strong showing of support for the embattled premier and his regional energy aspirations.
Significant regional developments have transpired since the last summit. In January 2019, Cypriot, Egyptian, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Jordanian and Palestinian energy ministers met in Cairo with the intention of establishing the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, an institution for regional energy cooperation. Coincidentally, the forum’s optimism was rewarded in recent weeks as major discoveries were made off the coasts of Cyprus and Egypt.

Exxon Mobil is reportedly considering future exploration in Israel’s waters.

Billionaire Tshuva May Herald Next Step in Israel-Egypt Ties - BLOOMBERG

March 24, 2019, 7:47 PM GMT+2

Yaacov Benmeleh

• Tshuva’s Delek eyes stakes in Egypt’s gas-liquefaction plants
• Deal may help both nations explore ties beyond security

Delek Drilling LP, the Israeli energy explorer controlled by billionaire Yitzhak Tshuva, is considering buying a stake in an Egyptian liquefied natural gas plant to broaden its export footprint.

Acquiring a piece of either the Idku or Damietta facilities, operated by Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Spain’s Union Fenosa SA, respectively, is among the various routes possible for the Egyptian deal, the company said in its annual report on Sunday. Other options are buying capacity at the plants rather than equity stakes, or enrolling their gas liquefaction services.

Should Delek pull off the purchase, it would be the strongest signal yet that Israel and Egypt are moving beyond security cooperation and toward deeper economic ties. Though the neighbors signed a peace treaty 40 years ago, Israel remains unpopular to many Egyptians. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi didn’t even mention Israel when he celebrated a $15 billion deal in 2018 between the nations.

Israel's Delek exploring partnership with Egypt LNG plants - REUTERS

MARCH 24, 2019 / 1:47 PM

JERUSALEM, March 24 (Reuters) - Israel’s Delek Drilling said on Sunday it was exploring options to boost natural gas exports to Egypt, including the possibility of buying into a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the northern Egyptian coast.

Delek is a partner in offshore gas fields in Israel and Cyprus and has already signed export deals to Egypt.

The company said in its 2018 annual report that one channel to increase sales could be through LNG plants near Idku and Damietta along the Mediterranean coast, and that it was “examining various arrangements with the owners of the liquefaction facilities”.

This could include purchasing liquefaction capacity or even buying into the plants themselves, Delek said. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Tova Cohen)

Energizing diplomacy with our neighbors - THE JERUSALEM POST

THE LEVIATHAN jacket.. (photo credit: ALBATROSS)

MARCH 22, 2019 16:20
MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN

Forty years on, Israel-Egypt energy cooperation opens the door to warmer relations

Is natural gas propelling us toward the future frontier of stronger Jerusalem-Cairo ties?

The energy cooperation deal signed between Israel and Egypt is the Jewish state’s first significant economic agreement with Egypt since the 1979 peace accord – and a dramatic step up in political and economic relations.

So said Amir Foster, head of strategy and research at the Association of Oil & Gas Exploration Industries, explaining that joint energy cooperation has already led to results in the field. 

In September 2018, Noble Energy and Delek Drilling signed agreements to purchase a stake in the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Company pipeline to advance the export of gas to Egypt.

“This was not just ‘another deal,’ but a dramatic development that changes the existing situation, providing the physical infrastructure for realizing the gas export deal with Egypt signed in February 2018,” Foster said.

Ahead of London IPO, Delek Drilling buys 3 Israeli licenses - GLOBES

Yitzhak Tshuva

20 Mar, 2019 16:39
Amiram Barkat

Two of the licenses are land oil exploration licenses and the third is the Roei offshore gas exploration license.

Delek Drilling LP (TASE: DEDR.L) is acquiring additional oil and gas exploration licenses in preparation for implementation of its plan for splitting off its subsidiary, which will hold the Leviathan and Aphrodite natural gas reservoirs, and which will hold an offering on the London Stock Exchange.

The partnership, controlled by Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG), whose controlling shareholder is Yitzhak Tshuva, today announced its entry into three new Israeli licenses: the Roei marine gas exploration license and the Yahel Hadash and Ofek Hadash land exploration licenses.

The Roei deal is based on exercising an option for 20% of the rights that Delek Drilling received in 2012 in lieu of its fee for its mediation role in the deal between the Ratio Oil Exploration (1992) LP (TASE:RATI.L) license holder (it was the Gal exploration permit at the time) and Italian company Edison, the operator for the license. Delek Drilling is now exercising its option to buy 5% more of the rights from Ratio in order to reach a 24.99% share of the rights in the license. Delek Drilling will not pay a substantial amount for the deal, beyond reimbursement for its proportional share of the partners' past expenses.

Proudly presenting the Karish Development Project - ENERGEAN OIL & GAS

Energean Oil & Gas proudly presenting the Karish Development Project (First Steel Cut version) in a 4:09 minute video.

Natural gas pipeline to Jerusalem completed - GLOBES

21 Mar, 2019 10:36
Daniel Schmil

The 18-inch-diameter, 34-kilometer-long pipeline cost NIS 290 million to build.

Israel Natural Gas Lines Company inaugurated the natural gas pipeline to Jerusalem in a ceremony attended by Minister of National Infrastructures, Energy, and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion. The 18-inch-diameter, 34-kilometer-long pipeline cost NIS 290 million to build.

The pipeline was built in two parts. The western part starts at the Yesodot block valve station near the Soreq Interchange on the Cross Israel Highway. The other part begins at the Mesilot Zion station next to Sha'ar Hagai and ends at the pressure-reducing station at Beit Zayit. The pressure reducing facility itself has not yet been completed, and gas can flow only to enterprises and consumers in the Jerusalem area after it is completed, through the Rotem distribution company. Connection of the first consumers to gas is scheduled for 2020.

Pompeo welcomes trilateral cooperation (Update 2) - CYPRUS MAIL

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, President Anastasiades,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Jerusalem

MARCH 20, 2019

Jean Christou

The governments of Cyprus, the US, Israel and Greece on Wednesday agreed to increase regional cooperation, support energy independence and security, and to “defend against external malign influences” in the Eastern Mediterranean and the broader Middle East.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who attended the Jerusalem summit, expressed US support for the trilateral mechanism established by the three countries when, according to a brief official declaration following the summit, they met “to affirm their shared commitment to promoting peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean region”.

According to the statement, Pompeo noted the importance of increased cooperation with the three countries.

Joint Statement USA Greece Israel Cyprus - TWITTER CYPRUS FM

Ithaca to operate Alon D license off Israel - OIL & GAS JOURNAL

HOUSTON, Mar. 19
MARCH/19/2019

Ithaca Energy Inc., a wholly owned Canadian subsidiary of Delek Group Ltd., will become operator of the Alon D exploration license offshore Israel under an agreement with Noble Energy Mediterranean Ltd.

Noble, the current operator with a 47.059% interest, is withdrawing from the license.

The Alon D block is immediately east of Noble’s Karish natural gas discovery on a block now operated by a subsidiary of Energean Oil & Gas PLC, London (OGJ Online, May 23, 2013).

Delek Drilling LP holds a 52.941% interest in the Alon D license.

Under the new agreement, interests will be Delek Drilling, 75%, and Ithaca Energy, 25%.

Delek Group said it approached “several potential operators” that showed no interest in the role.

Cyprus seeks EUR 150 mln EIB financing for Nat gas infrastructure - FINANCIAL MIRROR

19 March, 2019

Cyprus is in talks with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for over a €150 mln in financing for the construction of infrastructure to transport natural gas to the island, said Finance Minister Harris Georgiades.

EIB President Werner Hoyer appeared optimistic that the credit institution will be able to take part in the project.

“From 2013 until today we have signed financing agreements of a value of €1.5 billion,” the Finance Minister said at a Nicosia press conference Monday.

“Half of that amount is aimed at small and medium size enterprises through Cypriot banks, this has contributed in a decisive way to the Cypriot economy’s recovery,” he added.

The government aims to maintain and expand on financing programmes for small and medium size enterprises.

Eni to complete Zohr gas processing station in April - ENTERPRISE

Monday, 18 March 2019

Italy’s Eni will by April have completed the construction of a gas treatment station for Zohr-produced gas in Port Said’s El Gameel region, which will connect to the Damietta liquefaction plant, an industry source told the domestic press. 

The Damietta liquefaction plant, of which Eni owns 26%, will be able to export 750 mn cf/d after the completion of the plant.

Natural gas should be shared equitably in context of solution- U.S. ambassador - IN-CYPRUS

March 18, 2019 at 1:19pm
Edited by Stelios Marathovouniotis

Cyprus’ natural gas resources should be shared equitably between Turkish and Greek Cypriots in the context of an overall settlement, U.S. ambassador to Cyprus, Judith Garber said on Monday.

Garber made these statements after presenting her credentials to President Anastasiades after assuming her duties.

“The new energy discoveries come with great promise and equally great responsibility. The United States has consistently recognized the right of the Republic of Cyprus to develop the resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone. We continue to believe these resources should be equitably shared between both communities in the context of an overall settlement,” Garber said.

These finds should lead to the greater prosperity and stability of the entire region and help diversify Europe’s energy supply, she added.

She described Cyprus as a valued friend and an important partner in a critical region.

Egypt’s imports of Israeli gas delayed to mid-2019 due to pipeline doubts - ENTERPRISE

Monday, 18 March 2019

Egypt’s imports of Israeli gas delayed to mid-2019 due to pipeline doubts: Egypt will begin receiving its first shipments of Israeli gas in the middle of this year, two sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Egypt’s East Gas originally expected trial shipments from Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan gas fields to begin this month, but the sources said that the pipeline still requires further maintenance. Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla also told the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston last week that Egypt will start importing Israeli gas by mid-2019.

Background: East Gas, Noble Energy and Delek Drilling last year signed a USD 518 mn deal for a 39% stake in Ashkelon-Arish pipeline operator Eastern Mediterranean Gas (EMG), which was supposed to have paved the way for Egypt to begin importing an initial 100 mn scf/d in 1Q2019. In the time since, doubt has been raised over the capability of Israel’s domestic pipeline infrastructure to handle the quantity of gas agreed in last year’s USD 15 bn gas deal. The two countries began talks in January over the construction of a new subsea pipeline that would enable Israeli gas to flow directly to Egypt’s Idku facility, eliminating the need to expand Israel’s onshore infrastructure.

Egypt- Idku liquefaction plant to work at full export capacity by June: El-Molla - MENAFN / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

March/17/2019 3:20:51 AM 

(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum aims to increase the amount of gas exported of Idku gas liquefaction plant to 1.13bn cubic feet of gas per day (scf/day) by June, up from the current 800m scf/day, the Minister of Petroleum, Tarek El-Molla, told Daily News Egypt on Saturday.

The plant, operated by Royal Dutch Shell, is to operate at full capacity, following the linkage of gas production from Eastern Mediterranean fields, and achieve self-sufficiency, according to El-Molla. Ownership of the Idku plant is divided among Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) with 12%, Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) with 12%, Shell with 35.5%, Petronas with 35.5%, and Gaz de France with 5% stake.

El-Molla explained that Egypt is on the right track toward becoming a regional gas hub, exporting the surplus of natural gas production, giving a priority to electricity consumption, followed by factories, houses, and cars, respectively. In case of a surplus, the amount will be exported to international markets through the Idku plant and the Jordan gas pipeline.The contractual rate of Idku plant is 1.13bn scf/day. These rates have decreased since 2011 until it was finally stopped at the beginning of 2015.

Pipeline Snag to Delay Israel Gas to Egypt for 3 Months - BLOOMBERG

March 17, 2019, 2:47 PM GMT+2

Yaacov Benmeleh

• Egypt expects to get first test flows mid-year, not March
• Israel will pipe gas to Egypt under a $15 billion deal

Egypt will begin receiving gas from Israel under a $15 billion deal around the middle of the year, after unexpected issues with the pipeline connecting the two countries delayed the start-up by several months, people familiar with the situation said.

Egyptian Oil Minister Tarek El-Molla told the CERAWeek conference in Houston last week that the government expects the first flows of Israeli gas to arrive around mid-year.

He didn’t give details, but two people familiar with the situation said due diligence by the companies involved had discovered that the pipeline would require more work than expected to bring it online. The Egyptian partner in the project had said he expected trial quantities to begin flowing in March if the pipeline was found to be in good condition.

The companies developing Israel’s largest natural gas fields and their Egyptian partner agreed last year to buy a 39 percent of the East Mediterranean Gas Co., which owns the sub-sea pipeline connecting southern Israel to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, clearing the main legal obstacle to the 10-year export contract.

Egypt to tender four LNG cargoes in April as it aims to become regional gas hub - THE NATIONAL / FORBES

March 15, 2019 04:33 PMSagging domestic production had forced the North African state to halt most exports of LNG in 2014

Egypt indicated it’s ready to rejoin the club of major exporters of liquefied natural gas, making the biggest offer to supply the market in at least five years.

The state gas company EGAS is tendered to sell four cargoes of LNG for loading in April, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The bids are due March 18 and valid until March 25, according to the people, who asked not to be named because details of the tendering process is confidential.

Extra supplies from Egypt would hit a market already battling with spot prices for the super-chilled fuel trading at the lowest level since July 2017 following a mild winter that curbed demand across Europe and Asia. The US, Russia and Australia all are contributing to a glut, starting new plants to export the fuel and build market share.

Eni announces a new gas discovery in the Nour prospect, Offshore Egypt - ENI

14/03/2019 11:15

Eni announces a new gas discovery under evaluation in the Nour exploration prospect located in Eastern Egyptian Mediterranean. Feasibility studies in order to accelerate the exploitation of these new resources leveraging the synergies with existing facilities will start after finalizing the discovery evaluation

San Donato Milanese (Milan), 14 March 2019 – Eni announces a new gas discovery under evaluation in the Nour exploration prospect located in the Nour North Sinai Concession, in the Eastern Egyptian Mediterranean, about 50 km North of the Sinai peninsula.

The Nour-1 New Field Wildcat (NFW), which has led to the discovery, was drilled by the Scarabeo-9 semi-sub in a water depth of 295 meters and reached a total depth of 5,914 meters.

Nour-1 well found 33 meters of gross sandstone pay with good petrophysical properties and an estimated gas column of 90 meters in the Tineh formation of Oligocene age. The well has not been tested, however an intense and accurate data acquisition has been carried out.

Exclusive: Exxon eyes Israel gas bid in major Middle East shift - REUTERS

MARCH 13, 2019 / 10:28 PM

Ron Bousso

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp is considering exploring for oil and gas in Israel, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter, in what would make Exxon the first oil major to operate in the country still technically at war with Gulf Arab states.

A number of large gas discoveries offshore Israel and in nearby eastern Mediterranean waters in the last decade have made Israel a potentially lucrative prospect for big energy firms. The region is emerging as a new hot spot for gas exploration and production.

Until those discoveries, Israel was believed to be sitting on scant oil and gas reserves. There was little reason for energy firms to explore for energy in Israel and risk complicating operations and future investments in nearby Arab countries that hold some of the world’s largest energy reserves.

Cyprus, Noble Energy conclude deal on exploiting natural gas field - XINHUA

2019-03-13 04:20:47|Editor: yan

NICOSIA, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus and a consortium led by U.S.-based Noble Energy company have concluded an agreement on the terms of exploiting a natural gas field from which gas will be exported to Egypt, Cypriot state television reported on Tuesday.

Citing a competent government source, it said the two sides have ironed out pending issues relating to the ratio of participation of the sides involved in the revenue from the selling of natural gas, adding that what is left is to couch the deal in legal jargon.

Noble Energy leads the operation for sending gas to Egypt after building an undersea pipe, in association with British Gas and Israeli Delek Drilling, each of the three companies holding about one third of the share.

Noble Energy asked the Cypriot government last year to renegotiate the revenue sharing agreement for the 4.5 trillion cubic feet Aphrodite gas finding.

Aphrodite lies in block 12 of Cyprus's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and it is Cyprus's first gas finding, discovered in 2011.