Leviathan partners in Israel to invest $568 mln in third gas pipeline - REUTERS

Sun, July 2, 2023 at 9:52 AM GMT+3

JERUSALEM, July 2 (Reuters) - Partners in the Israeli offshore gas project Leviathan said on Sunday they would invest $568 million to build a third pipeline that will allow increased natural gas production and exports.

Leviathan, a deep-sea field with huge deposits, came online at the end of 2019 and produces 12 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year for sale to Israel, Egypt and Jordan. The idea is to boost capacity to include sizeable volumes for Europe as it seeks to reduce dependence on Russian energy.

The new pipeline will connect the well with a production facility some 10 km off Israel's Mediterranean shore. It is due to come online in the second half of 2025, when production at Leviathan will jump to 14 bcm a year, the companies said.

Cyprus changes tack with plan for Mediterranean gas link to Israel - REUTERS

June 21, 20235:22 AM GMT+3
Michele Kambas

• Cyprus wants shorter gas pipeline to Israel
• Part of broader project to get EastMed gas to Europe fast
• New Cyprus government talking to Israel on plans
• Longer pipeline through Med 'challenging'

NICOSIA, June 20 (Reuters) - Cyprus hopes to develop plans for a pipeline linking it to Israel's east Mediterranean gas fields during talks which start next month, the island's top energy official told Reuters.

Proposals by the new centrist Cypriot government, which came to power in March, represent a markedly different approach to its predecessors in getting gas to Europe and other markets.

Aphrodite gasfield has certainly resurfaced - CYPRUS MAIL

George Papanastasiou, Cyprus' Energy Minister

June 12, 2023
Dr Charles Ellinas

Despite challenges, the latest plans for the development of Aphrodite are more serious and realistic

Aphrodite is back in the limelight. On May 31 NewMed submitted an updated development plan to Cyprus’ government, on behalf of the field joint venture (JV) that includes Chevron as the operator and partner Shell. This is based on transporting the gas to Shell’s West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) existing processing and production facilities offshore Egypt, from where it will be transported to the mainland eventually for domestic consumption or for export as LNG. First gas is expected by 2028.

This goes against George Papanastasiou’s, the energy minister, wishes for the Aphrodite partners to prioritise supply of gas to the island. In April he said that he didn’t think that gas from the Aphrodite gasfield should end up in Egypt’s liquefaction terminals.

“Our approach around the use of natural gas as a transition fuel is being reviewed and we are including the natural gas found in the East Med, and more specifically Cyprus’ EEZ, in the mix for use in the domestic market,” he said.

Israel officially recognizes Energean’s Katlan reservoir as natural gas discovery - THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

1 June 2023, 3:24 pm
Sharon Wrobel

Israel’s Energy Ministry officially classified an offshore natural gas reserve explored by British-Greek oil and gas company Energean as a discovery, paving the way for its development.

National infrastructure, Energy, and Water Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday granted Energean the recognition of the oil commissioner Chen Bar Yosef for the Katlan deposit, also known as Olympus, as a natural gas discovery. It marks the first natural gas discovery recognized by Israel since 2015, the Energy Ministry said.

It comes a year after news of the discovery was announced.

Katlan, which holds an estimated 68 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas, (TEKMOR Note: 2.4tcf) is located between the Energean-owned Karish and Tanin natural gas fields off Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

Israel’s NewMed and partners to connect the Aphrodite gas field off Cyprus to Egypt - THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

31 May 2023, 3:02 pm
Sharon Wrobel

Partners in the Aphrodite natural gas field offshore Cyprus, which include Israel’s NewMed Energy, announced on Wednesday that they were seeking approval from the Cypriot government to build a subsea pipeline that will connect the field to an existing processing and production facility in Egypt.

Israel’s NewMed Energy, formerly Delek Drilling (part of Yitzhak Tshuva’s Delek Group), which owns a 30% stake in the Aphrodite field located in Cypriot waters, said it had presented the Cypriot government with an updated plan for the development of the reservoir, including natural gas processing and production. For this purpose, the Aphrodite partners met with the Cypriot energy minister on Monday to discuss the progress of the development of the reservoir.

The other partners in the Aphrodite gas field, which holds an estimated 124 billion cubic meters of gas, are US energy giant Chevron and Shell, which each own a 35% share.

Cyprus Wants Shipping Corridor to Export Mediterranean Gas to Europe - OFFSHORE ENGINEER

May 29, 2023

Michele Kambas

Cyprus wants to establish itself as a gateway from east Mediterranean gas resources to Europe via a shipping corridor of LNG carriers, its president said on Monday. 

Cyprus's new centrist government, which came to power in February, has cooled to the idea championed by its predecessors of an "EastMed" pipeline transferring gas to Europe.

Instead, authorities now want to transport, via pipeline, natural gas from fields in the eastern Mediterranean to the island for use in domestic conventional power generation, with an additional LNG facility to process for European markets, President Nikos Christodoulides said.

Minister: 2 major gas companies keen on Israel-Cyprus plan for pipeline, gas processing facility - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 16, 2023
MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Two major international oil and gas companies have so far expressed interest in Israeli-Cypriot plans to build a pipeline that would convey offshore natural gas from both countries to Cyprus where it would be liquefied for export by ship, a Cypriot official said Tuesday.

Energy Minister Giorgos Papanastasiou told The Associated Press in an interview that the plan will be pitched on May 29 to energy companies involved in hydrocarbon exploration off Cyprus’ southern coast and other firms involved in pipeline and gas processing plant manufacture.

INTERVIEW: Greece-Bulgaria gas link to run market tests for capacity expansion in H2 - SEE NEWS

Apr 28, 2023 15:31 EEST
Antonia Kokalova-Gray

SOFIA April 28 (SeeNews) - ICGB, the operator of the Greece-Bulgaria natural gas interconnector (IGB), is planning to launch market tests in the second half of 2023 to gauge potential demand ahead of a planned capacity expansion, chief executive Teodora Georgieva told SeeNews.

ICGB has begun assessing the pipeline's infrastructure readiness to carry hydrogen as well, Georgieva told SeeNews in an interview earlier this month at the Budapest LNG Summit.

In case of sufficient market demand, the expansion of the IGB's capacity to 5 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year from the current 3 bcm/year will also help ensure the flow of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from terminals in Greece - the operational facility at Revithoussa and planned terminals like the one in Alexandroupolis. ICGB is already working on this opportunity with Greek transmission system operator DESFA, according to the chief executive. Building a new compressor station on the Greek side is one of the projects that will advance capacity expansion.

Chevron considers gas exploration offshore Cyprus, Egypt and Israel - OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

April 19, 2023

US energy major Chevron is looking to explore for natural gas offshore Cyprus, Egypt and Israel to meet surging demand in the region and Europe, reported Reuters, citing two sources.

As part of this effort, the US company is seeking a drilling ship to support natural gas exploration work.

According to the sources, the company has issued a lease tender seeking a drilling vessel from potential companies in 2024, for a period of one year with an option to extend for several years.

A Chevron spokesperson said the company “remains committed to working together with the governments of Egypt, Israel and Cyprus and our partners in the region to support the growth of the east Mediterranean energy sector.

Eni puts major new East Med gas project on fast track - UPSTREAM

12 April 2023 10:28 GMT
Iain Esau in London

Eni is set to sanction a major new project offshore Cyprus in 2024 and is studying onshore and offshore liquefied natural gas solutions, according to the company’s head of natural resources.

The Italian major is also exploring the possibility of working with US giant ExxonMobil on a joint development of their Cypriot gas resources, although this appears the least likely option at present.

Eni has found at least 4.5 trillion cubic feet of gas-in-place in Block 6 offshore southern Cyprus in recent years, resources held in the deep-water Calypso, Cronos and Zeus discoveries that were drilled between 2018 and late 2022.

Zeus-1 was completed late last year, hitting 105 metres of net pay in a carbonate reservoir that hosts between 2 Tcf and 3 Tcf of gas in place. This find came after the Cronos-1 probe found 2.5 Tcf of in-place resources last August, while the play-opening discovery was made by the Calypso-1 wildcat in 2018. Speaking to Upstream last week, Guido Brusco, chief operating officer of Eni’s natural resources business, explained the company’s thinking on how best to tap this gas. He said there are “clearly” two options, “either floating LNG or a tie-in to Egypt”, where Eni operates the Damietta LNG plant.

New impetus for tardy LNG project - CYPRUS MAIL

April 2, 2023

Elias Hazou

The recently-appointed energy minister George Papanastasiou seems to have injected a sense of purpose

Construction of a €300 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at Vasilikos, plagued by a series of delays, has finally picked up some steam. And whereas not all the ducks are lined up in a row, so to speak, a more assertive stance by Cypriot authorities means the project as a whole could be delivered by the end of the year.

The previous deadline set for completion was October 2023. That target – probably intended for public consumption – was announced only a month ago. To put things into perspective, it was way back in December 2019 when Cyprus signed the contract with a consortium led by China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co Ltd. The project’s kickoff meeting didn’t take place until September 2020.

“Realistically, we’re now looking at end of 2023 for completion, or beginning of 2024,” Energy Minister George Papanastasiou told the Sunday Mail.

The LNG terminal will include a floating storage and regasification unit (Fsru), a jetty for mooring the Fsru, a jetty-borne gas pipeline and related infrastructure.

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.

Edison sees investment decision on EastMed gas pipeline by year-end - REUTERS

March 20, 20238:06 AM GMT+2

Francesca Landini

Edison's logo is seen outside the company headquarters in downtown Milan, Italy, January 14, 2016. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

MILAN, March 20 (Reuters) - Energy group Edison (EDNn.MI) plans to take the final investment decision on a proposed pipeline to deliver east Mediterranean gas to European markets by the end of this year, the Italian project developer told Reuters.

The EastMed-Poseidon pipeline, which would initially connect several gas fields offshore Israel to Italy and have an annual capacity of 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas, could be ready by 2027, Edison said.

The project, supported by Israel, Cyprus and Greece, would guarantee alternative supplies for Europe, which is weaning itself off of Russian piped gas. In addition, it would better connect Cyprus to its EU partners.

First gas flows from project off Egypt - OFFSHORE ENERGY

March 10, 2023

Melisa Cavcic

Oil and gas company Energean has achieved the first gas from a well located offshore Egypt while the remaining wells are expected to come online later this year. This brings the firm closer to achieving its 200 kboed medium-term production target.

Back in January 2023, Energean outlined that its “key development projects” – Karish North, NEA/NI, Cassiopea – would enable it to deliver its 200 kboed mid-term production target. To this end, the company disclosed plans for the first gas from NEA/NI in the first half of 2023 while the firm’s expansion in Israel, including a development concept for the 67 bcm Olympus area, was expected to be communicated in 1H 2023. On the other hand, the first gas from Cassiopea in Italy was anticipated in 1H 2024.

In an update on Thursday, 9 March 2023, Energean confirmed that the first gas had been delivered at the North El Amriya and North Idku (NEA/NI) project off Egypt. According to the company, the gas is being produced from the NEA#6 well while the remaining three wells are expected to be brought online over the course of 2023.

Mathios Rigas, Chief Executive Officer of Energean, commented: “Our successful development of first gas at NEA/NI is a good example of our commitment to Egypt and longstanding partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum, EGPC and EGAS, creating value for all stakeholders.

Aphrodite low on list of Chevron’s gas plans for East Med - CYPRUS MAIL

March 6, 2023

Dr. Charles Ellinas

The importance of the East Med to Chevron’s gas plans was made clear at the company’s ‘2022 4Q Earnings Conference Call’ on January 27 and subsequently at its ‘Investor Presentation’ on February 28. Mike Wirth, Chevron’s CEO, confirmed that he considers the region to be of “high priority”.

He specifically referred to the $673 million ‘Final Investment Decision’ (FID) taken in December 2022 to expand Tamar gasfield production capacity in Israel from 11billion cubic metres per year (bcm/yr) to 16bcm/yr, expected to come online in early 2025. This will enable Tamar to meet Israel’s growing domestic demand and increase gas deliveries to Egypt.

Following the Tamar FID, Chevron and its partners approved close to $100m budget for the development of Phase 1B of the Leviathan gasfield. This includes pre-FEED engineering for field expansion, including construction of a 4.6million tonnes/yr floating LNG (FLNG) facility, three years after FID. The expansion will increase production capacity to 21bcm/yr from 12bcm/yr now.

First FSRU for Cyprus Begins Commissioning at Cosco Shipyard - THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

MAR 6, 2023 7:03

The commissioning phase of the first FSRU being converted in Shanghai for Cyprus has begun. The vessel completed its second dry docking on March 4 at the Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry yard and is now preparing for trials before departing for the Mediterranean this year. The project, which has been delayed by several complications, calls for the FSRU to operate in Cyprus till 2044.

The project which is expected to cost approximately €315 million when it is completed is being called the biggest ever project in the history of Cyprus and will create the island’s first LNG facility. The 72,780 dwt LNG carrier built in 2002 as the Gria will be permanently docked less than a mile off the coast of Limassol, Cyprus in Vasilikos Bay. The project plans to directly connect the vessel to the Vasilikos power station.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which provided $95 million of funding to acquire the vessel for conversion, calls this project critical to Cyprus’ energy security and will help to meet the island’s environmental goals. The FSRU will replace heavy fuel oil used at the power plant. It is estimated that 90 percent of the island’s power supply comes from heavy fuel.

Greece, Cyprus, Israel plan trilateral leaders’ summit - JNS (JEWISH NEWS SYNDICATE)

February 27, 2023 / JNS

Etgar Lefkovits

A summit attended by the leaders of Greece, Cyprus and Israel is planned for later this year, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced Monday.

The gathering will take place amid burgeoning relations between Israel and both Cyprus and Greece over the last decade and a half in a variety of fields including tourism, medicine, cybersecurity, energy and military cooperation.

The decision to organize such a regional meeting was made during a Sunday night phone call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the president-elect of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides.

The two men discussed bilateral cooperation in various fields, a readout of the conversation said.

The Cypriot leader, who will assume office on Tuesday, offered condolences over Sunday’s Palestinian terrorist attack in which two Israeli brothers were killed. He is expected to visit Israel soon at the prime minister’s invitation.

Energy Hot Potatoes The New President Will Face [GGP] - NATURAL GAS WORLD

Feb 21, 2023 9:25:am
Charles Ellinas

Cyprus has a new president. A new era is starting and that includes energy. Many serious old problems remain and are in need of urgent attention. Some energy hot potatoes that must be addressed and resolved to usher in the energy reforms and economic prosperity President-elect Nikos Christodoulides has promised.

Thousands of households are applying or planning to apply to install rooftop photovoltaics to benefit from a substantial reduction in their electricity costs. But as the DSO and TSO warned in their 20 January letter, that attracted the wrath of the outgoing energy minister, Cyprus’ outdated electrical system is at a tipping point. Without upgrading it, installing storage batteries and smart meters, the risk of instability and inevitably power cuts is getting uncomfortably close. Resolving this problem needs to be given top priority.

Energean exports first hydrocarbon liquids from Israeli gas fields - THE JERUSALEM POST

FEBRUARY 14, 2023 16:55

Zachy Hennessey

For the first time in the history of Israeli oil and gas production, hydrocarbon liquids will be exported to global markets, Energean confirmed on Tuesday. The first cargo has been transferred from the company's Karish field platform and sold as part of a multi-cargo marketing agreement with Vitol.

“We are happy and proud that Energean has facilitated Israel joining the club of international oil exporters," said Mathios Rigas, Energean's CEO "This is another milestone for us, enhancing Energean’s growth as a significant player in the local and regional markets.”

According to Energean, the hydrocarbon liquids are to be offloaded in a controlled manner via the Energean Power FPSO vessel and subsequently sold into various global markets, creating a significantly differentiated income stream that is fundamentally separate to the company's gas-derived revenues.

Italy's Eni signs $8 billion Libya gas deal as PM Meloni visits Tripoli - REUTERS

January 29, 202310:06 AM GMT+2

Gavin Jones

ROME/TRIPOLI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Italian energy company Eni and Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) signed an $8 billion gas production deal on Saturday aimed at boosting energy supplies to Europe despite the insecurity and political chaos in the North African country.

The deal, signed during a visit to Tripoli by Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, aims to increase gas output for the Libyan domestic market as well as exports, through the development of two offshore gas fields.

Output will begin in 2026 and reach a plateau of 750 million cubic feet per day, Eni said in a statement.

"This agreement will enable important investments in Libya's energy sector, contributing to local development and job creation while strengthening Eni's role as a leading operator in the country," said its chief executive, Claudio Descalzi.

Meloni met Libya's Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of the internationally recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli for talks that also focused on migration across the Mediterranean.

Eni announces new gas discovery offshore Egypt - REUTERS

January 15, 20231:44 PM GMT+2

MILAN, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Italian energy group Eni (ENI.MI) said on Sunday it had made a new gas discovery in an Egyptian offshore field in the Eastern Mediterranean sea.

State-controlled Eni is looking for new gas sources as it aims to completely replace gas imports from Russia by 2025 following the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The new discovery is located in the Nargis-1 exploration well and "can be developed leveraging the proximity to Eni's existing facilities", the group said in a statement.

The Nargis-1 well is part of Egypt's 1,800-sq. km Nargis Offshore Area concession operated by Chevron (CVX.N), with a 45% interest in it. Eni also holds a 45% stake, while Tharwa Petroleum Company SAE holds a 10% interest.

SOURCE

Libyan Court Suspends Controversial Oil And Gas Deal With Turkey - OILPRICE.com

Jan 11, 2023, 2:30 AM CST
Charles Kennedy

A Libyan court has suspended a deal for offshore oil and gas exploration that Libya and Turkey inked last year, a deal that sparked outrage from neighbors Egypt and Greece.

The deal concerned waters that Libya and Turkey have declared to be theirs but that are disputed by Egypt and Greece, Reuters noted in a report on the news that cited an unnamed source. The Libyan government can appeal the ruling, the source also told Reuters.

Greece’s Permanent Representative at the UN, Maria Theofili described the deal as one “violating the sovereign rights of Greece, is a violation of international law and a deliberate escalation that undermines stability in the region.”

Government optimistic of swift development of natural gas finds in Block 6 - CYPRUS MAIL

January 9, 2023

Elias Hazou

The government anticipates a speedy development of the natural gas finds in Block 6 of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Energy Minister Natasa Pilides said on Monday.

She was speaking to reporters coming out of a meeting at the presidential palace between President Nicos Anastasiades and representatives of TotalEnergies, headed by Laurent Vivier, the French multinational’s Senior Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa.

Queried about the discovery of two natural gas reservoirs in Block 6 – licensed to a joint venture of Total and ENI – Pilides said the government was in talks with the companies.

“It is still too early to have a specific plan, but certainly the intensive activity relating to the actions needed to be taken in 2023 will continue, and I think the whole process will move forward quite speedily.”

Egypt achieves 53 oil & gas discoveries in 2022 - ZAWYA

December 29, 2022

Egypt has witnessed a spike in its energy reserves in 2022, with 53 new oil and gas discoveries, according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ 2022 Achievements Report.

The new discoveries include 42 oil wells and 11 gas wells in the Western Desert, the Suez Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, and Nile Delta.

The latest gas discovery in the Nargis block occurred in December. Reuters estimated the discovery to have 3.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El-Molla, stated earlier this month that the volume of Nargis gas discovery was still under assessment.

The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) launched an international bid round for oil exploration and exploitation for 12 blocks in the Mediterranean Sea and Nile Delta.

On December 22nd, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El-Molla, stated that Egypt was set to invest a total of $2.1 billion in oil and natural gas exploration plans until 2025.

Egypt launches new bid round for Mediterranean, Nile Delta oil and gas exploration - REUTERS

December 27, 20222:26 PM GMT+2Last Updated 2 days ago

CAIRO, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Egypt has set a new international tender for oil and gas exploration rights in the Nile Delta and Mediterranean sea, the state news agency reported on Tuesday.

The tender was set for 12 blocks, split evenly between onshore and offshore, and the deadline for offers in the bid round was set for April 30, 2023, the tender announcement showed.

Eni makes another gas discovery offshore Cyprus - ENI

21 DECEMBER 2022 - 10:00 AM CET

San Donato Milanese (Milan), 21 December 2022 – Eni announces a new gas discovery offshore Cyprus with the well Zeus-1, drilled in Block 6, 162 km off the coastline in 2300 meters of water depth. The Block is operated by Eni Cyprus, holding 50% interest, with TotalEnergies as partner.

Zeus-1 is the third consecutive discovery in Block 6. It follows Cronos-1 and Calypso-1 and confirms the promising outlook for the area and its development. Zeus-1 encountered 105 meters of net gas pay in a carbonate reservoir sequence. The gas in place associated to this reservoir is preliminarily estimated between 2 and 3 TCF.

Zeus-1 well was drilled and successfully tested with the Tungsten Explorer drill ship. Results of the test are being incorporated in the evaluation of the discoveries cluster that will drive subsequent studies and operations targeting a fast-track development of Block 6.

Eni has been present in Cyprus since 2013. The Company operates Blocks 2,3,6,8 and 9, and has participating interests in Blocks 7 and 11 operated by TotalEnergies.

UPDATE 1-Egypt discovers large gas field in Mediterranean, minister says - REUTERS

CAIRO, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Egypt has discovered a large gas field in the Nargis block in the eastern Mediterranean, Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla said on Thursday.

Evaluation is still ongoing to determine the field’s reserves, he said in a briefing to a parliamentary committee.

Nargis is one of four offshore exploration blocks in which Chevron holds operating interests in Egypt along with Tharwa Petroleum Co, according to Chevron’s website.

The Middle East Economic Survey reported this month that the size of the new well was 3.5 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Egyptian officials have declined to confirm details of the find.

The find could provide a boost to Egypt’s efforts to position itself as an energy hub in the eastern Mediterranean following the 2015 announcement of the discovery by Eni of the giant Zohr gas field.

Sisi’s maritime declaration shields Crete - KATHIMERINI

15.DECEMBER.2022 • 12:15
Vassilis Nedos

Despite Ankara’s efforts to normalize relations with Cairo, the Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum received another blow to its credibility with the presidential decree of Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi declaring the Egypt-Libya maritime border unilaterally with a western limit at the 25th meridian – i.e. even further west than the limit of the August 2020 Greece-Egypt partial demarcation agreement.

The recent developments around Crete serve as a shield for Greece’s rights, as the exploration for hydrocarbons to the southwest of the island at the request of US oil giant ExxonMobil was followed by Sisi’s decree, which transfers Egypt’s claims against Libya further west, dealing another blow to the Turkish-Libyan memorandum. In effect, it makes Tripoli’s desire for exploration south of the eastern part of Crete, where Egypt is now asserting claims, even more difficult.

Although the decree does not reach the median line (as perceived by Greece) leaving room for a future tripartite agreement between Greece, Egypt and Libya, it practically covers even more of Crete against the possibility of Tripoli requesting that exploration be conducted by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) at a point near the east of the island.

Chevron, partners okay expansion of gas production from Israel’s Tamar field - THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

8 December 2022, 7:51 pm
Sharon Wrobel

Energy firms to invest $673 million in boosting gas production to meet growing demand in Israel and neighboring countries

US energy giant Chevron and its partners in the Tamar natural gas reservoir off Israel’s Mediterranean coast announced Thursday that they have okayed a final investment decision (FID) needed to proceed with the first phase of expanding natural gas production to meet growing domestic demand and boost exports to Egypt.

As part of the FID, the partners in the Tamas natural gas rig, located some 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Haifa, are expected to invest some $673 million in a project expanding gas production from the offshore field.

Chevron provided details of a two-stage plan aimed at expanding production to about 1.6 billion cubic feet (BCF) of natural gas from the Tamar field to meet Israel’s energy needs and export gas to Egypt and neighboring countries.

New drilling round in Aphrodite gas field set for early 2023 -Cypriot minister

December 7, 2022, 3:08 PM GMT+2

Nafisa Eltahir

CAIRO, Dec 7 (Reuters) - A new round of drilling will occur in the Aphodite gas field in the first few months of 2023, Cyprus' energy minister told a news conference in Cairo on Wednesday.

A draft development plan from the JV operating the field is expected by the end of the year, Natasa Pilides said. Cyprus is trying to expedite development so that the first shipment to Egypt could come by 2027, she added.

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.

Oil and gas group Energean calls for east Mediterranean investment boom - FINANCIAL TIMES

14/11/2022
Tom Wilson in London

The chief executive of a London-listed oil and gas company recently threatened by Hizbollah has called for more investment in the energy potential of the eastern Mediterranean after a landmark maritime deal between Lebanon and Israel.

Mathios Rigas, whose Energean delivered the first gas from Israel’s Karish field last month, said the US-brokered agreement, following years of on-off negotiations between the sworn enemies, offered a “new model” for the resolution of border disputes in the contested region.

The deal does not constitute a peace agreement between the two countries, which still do not recognise each other’s governments, but allows for the exploitation of the area’s hydrocarbons while border negotiations continue.

Energy minister: Gas exploration starts off southwest Greece - AP NEWS

10.NOV.2022
ELENA BECATOROS

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s energy and environment minister says U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil has begun prospecting for natural gas off the coast of southwestern Greece, kicking off a delayed project as Europe seeks alternative energy sources due to the war in Ukraine.

ExxonMobil’s ship is already in operation in the area, Energy and Environment Minister Kostas Skrekas said on state-run ERT television Thursday, just four days after Greece’s prime minister announced the project was to start. The move comes amid heightened tensions with neighboring Turkey, and is a project that has been heavily criticized by environmental groups.

“The ship has begun. At this moment it is laying the cables” which are needed for the sonic waves used in the prospecting, Skrekas said.

“The reserves we speculate exist southwest of Crete and the Peloponnese might be the last hope the mining industry has to find a large reserve ... in the region of southeastern Europe, in our region,” he said. However, he noted, “until we drill and see what is really there, everything is on the level of speculation.”

Growth drilling programme update - ENERGEAN

London, 7 November 2022 - Energean plc (LSE: ENOG, TASE: אנאג (is pleased to announce that i) the Zeus01 exploration well has made a commercial gas discovery of 13 bcm ii) contingent resources at Athena have been upgraded following post-well analysis; and iii) the Stena IceMax drilling rig has moved to block 23 to drill the Hercules structure, the final well in Energean’s 2022 drilling campaign.

Zeus well results

The Zeus exploration well, block 12, offshore Israel, has made a commercial discovery with preliminary estimates indicating that the structure contains 13.3 bcm of recoverable natural gas resources (pre-drill estimate 10 - 12 bcm). Energean is now undertaking post-well analysis of the data collected during drilling.

Athena resource upgrade

Energean’s reserve auditor, DeGolyer & MacNaughton (“D&M”), has certified contingent resources of 11.75 bcm in the Athena discovery, an increase of 3.75 bcm on the Company’s 8 bcm preliminary estimate. This increase follows post well studies undertaken on data collected during the drilling process.

New Italian govt aims to double national gas production - REUTERS

October 27, 202211:27 AM GMT+3

MILAN, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Italy plans to double its national gas production to 6 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year from the current 3 bcm, its industry minister said, in a further effort to cut the country's dependence on Russian supplies.

"One of our goals is to develop a plan that will make us as quickly as possible less dependent and will then turn us into the energy hub of the Mediterranean", Industry Minister Adolfo Urso told Il Messaggero daily in an interview published on Thursday.

The government will also authorise new offshore drilling in the Adriatic sea, he said, echoing the words of Italy's new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said this week that Rome "has a duty to fully exploit" its offshore gas reserves to diversify energy sources.

Israel Grants Approval for Energean to Start production at Karish Offshore Gas Field - OFFSHORE ENGINEER

October 25, 2022

Maayan Lubell and Ari Rabinovitch 

Israel granted Energean permission to start production at the offshore Karish gas field on Tuesday, an Energy Ministry statement said.

Energean has said its floating production storage and offloading vessel [the Energean Power - OE ] is due to start production at Karish in the third quarter but has not given a precise date.

On Oct. 9, the London-listed energy group began pumping gas to its floating production facility as part of reverse flow testing procedures.

Israel and Lebanon on Thursday are expected to sign a U.S.-brokered maritime border deal reached this month, opening the way for offshore energy exploration.

PGS supporting gas exploration offshore Cyprus - OFFSHORE

OCT.20.2022

OSLO, Norway — PGS has unveiled its new Cyprus Vision offering, covering most discoveries and exploration wells to date offshore Cyprus.

The most recent Cronos-1 gas discovery well drilled by Eni and TotalEnergies in Block 6 confirms the prolific presalt Miocene-Cretaceous carbonate play in the area, the company said, following the earlier Calypso and Glaucus finds.

Cronos-1 well encountered various good-quality carbonate reservoir intervals with overall net gas pay of more than 260 m. Early estimates suggest about 2.5 Tcf in place, with significant upside. A further exploration well (Zeus-1) is drilling on the block.

According to PGS, Cyprus Vision benefits from 3D GeoStreamer broadband quality that should provide additional insights and allow analogs to be determined on other blocks in the area.

EU official: East Med gas can wean bloc off Russian energy - ABC News

October 14, 2022, 8:34 PM

MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS

NICOSIA, Cyprus -- Natural gas from undersea deposits in the eastern Mediterranean can help replace Russia’s diminished supply of the fossil fuel to Europe as the continent also looks to make a quick transition to renewable energy, the European Union’s energy commissioner said Friday.

Commissioner Kadri Simson told the East Mediterranean Gas Forum conference in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, that the region can play an increasingly important role as a short- to medium-term supplier of gas.

She pointed to a June deal for Israel to send more gas to EU countries through Egypt, which has facilities to liquefy it for export by sea.

Energean hits gas discovery in waters off Israel - OFFSHORE ENERGY

06 Oct 2022 | 08:51 UTC
October 6, 2022, by Nermina Kulovic

E&P company Energean has made a commercial gas discovery with the Hermes exploration well offshore Israel and has moved on to drill the next well in the campaign.

As reported in June 2022, Energean made plans to drill two more exploration wells off Israel and exercised its options with Stena Drilling for those wells.

The Hermes exploration well is located in Block 31 and it was spud in August, using the Stena IceMAX drillship. Preliminary estimates indicate that the structure contains 7 – 15 bcm of recoverable natural gas resources, Energean informed on Thursday.

Detailed analysis of the data collected by the well is ongoing, with the aim of refining volumetric estimates and potential commerciality for both the discovery and the full area. The Hermes discovery has helped to de-risk the nearby Poseidon and Orpheus structures, which represent attractive potential future appraisal targets to fully assess the potential of the area around block 31.

Egypt's 2021-2022 natural gas and LNG export revenue hits $8 billion - REUTERS

September 25, 20221:27 PM

Sept 25 (Reuters) - Egypt's natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) export revenue reached $8 billion in its 2021/22 fiscal year after volumes increased by 7.2 million tonnes, the Egyptian cabinet said on its Facebook page on Sunday.

The statement did not include comparative numbers for the previous fiscal year. Egypt's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.

Egypt earns about $500 million monthly from natural gas exports and aims to raise that figure to $1 billion "in the coming period", Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said in a statement last week.

Egypt has been pushing to maximise its exports of natural gas to generate foreign currency revenue after coming under financial pressure due to the impact of the war in Ukraine.

The government says gas exports have been boosted after the it introduced an electricity rationing plan in August.

Aphrodite back in the limelight - CYPRUS MAIL

September 25, 2022
Dr. Charles Ellinas

The roadmap to resolve the dispute with Israel is welcome but Europe is still phasing out gas

The news this week that the energy ministers of Cyprus and Israel agreed to a roadmap for future negotiations on how to resolve the long-standing dispute on how to share the Aphrodite gasfield that Israel claims extends into the adjacent Ishai block. This is long-overdue and is a welcome development. The two ministers have made significant progress on the principles of a unitization agreement and the terms for an expert to be appointed to advise on the Ishai share.

Teams from the two sides will continue the discussions “over the coming weeks,” but no firm timetable was given. However, with terms still to be agreed, an expert to be appointed, review the geological, survey and all drilling data and make recommendations for the two sides to agree, this will take months.

Cyprus, Israel pledge quick deal in gas field dispute - KATHIMERINI

19.09.2022 • 19:30
MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS

Israel and Cyprus said Monday that they have made “significant” headway in resolving a long-running dispute over an offshore natural gas deposit and say they are committed to quickly reaching a deal as Europe looks for new energy sources.

Cyprus Energy Minister Natasa Pilides and her Israeli counterpart, Karine Elharrar, held talks in the Cypriot capital, pledging to press toward a “fair and swift resolution.”

Israel claims that a portion of Cyprus’ Aphrodite deposit estimated to hold some 4.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas falls inside its nearby Ishai field, along an offshore demarcation line that separates the two countries’ exclusive economic zones.

Negotiations have stretched for several years, but Europe’s need to wean itself off Russian energy sources since the war in Ukraine appears to have added a new sense of urgency to the talks. Russia has cut back natural gas supplies to Europe, driving up prices.

Partners in Cyprus' Aphrodite gas field approve $192 mln investment - REUTERS

JERUSALEM, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The partners in the Aphrodite gas field in Cypriot waters have approved a $192 million investment to begin drilling and to cover other development costs for the offshore project, Israeli firm NewMed Energy (NWMDp.TA) said on Sunday.

Most of the investment is for drilling a well that will first confirm the size of the gas deposit, estimated to be 124 billion cubic metres, and then be used for production, NewMed said.

Drilling is expected to begin in the first half of 2023.

NewMed has a 30% stake in Aphrodite, located about 170 km south of Limassol. Chevron (CVX.N) and Shell each have a 35% share.

The partners are examining development options, NewMed said, including connecting the field to existing facilities in the area or linking it to development plans for nearby assets in Egypt.

Israeli energy minister due in Cyprus to address Aphrodite field dispute - CYPRUS MAIL

September 17, 2022
Christodoulos Mavroudis

Israeli energy minister Karine Elharrar will be in Cyprus on Monday 19 to address the pending dispute with Nicosia over the Yishai gas field, according to his Cypriot counterpart Natasa Pilides.

Pilides told CNA on that Elharrar will be visiting Cyprus “in the context of our institutionalised discussion over Yishai.”

Israeli daily business newspaper Calcalist on Saturday, citing unnamed but reliable sources reported that Israel was looking into a new framework to address the pending dispute with Cyprus over the Aphrodite/Yishai gas fields.

Reportedly, Elharrar will propose to the Cypriot side to take over 10 per cent of the field which the Israeli side considers its own, against monetary compensation.

This comes six months after intergovernmental parleys aimed at resolving the longstanding dispute were announced to be taking place between the two countries.

If Nasrallah attacks Karish gas field, Lebanon will pay the price - Gantz - JERUSALEM POST

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 20:55
By TOVAH LAZAROFF, ANNA AHRONHEIM

Israel warned that Lebanon would pay the price for any Hezbollah attack on its offshore Karish gas field, even as it said it hoped a US-brokered deal to set a maritime boundary in the north was close to completion.

“If [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah wants to try and harm and to complicate this process, he is welcome to do so, the price is Lebanon,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz told Reichman University’s 21st World Summit on Counter-Terrorism on Thursday morning. “I hope for his sake that he won’t do this, we are prepared to defend our interests.”

Gantz’ words come as US envoy Amos Hochstein appears to be on the edge of concluding a deal between the Lebanese and Israeli governments to set a maritime border off the Mediterranean Sea. It would give Israel rights to the Karish gas field and Lebanon the right to the abutting Kana gas field.

Greece signs agreement with Italy on natural gas storage - KATHIMERINI

10.SEPT.2022 • 09:06

Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas said on Friday he signed a memorandum of understanding with his Italian counterpart to have natural gas stored in Italy.

The agreement covers 1.5 TWh (terra watt hours) of natural gas that can be transported to Greece via reverse flows, the minister said, without providing further details.

Greece had been in talks with Italy to see whether it can store gas there as part of efforts to secure supplies if Russian flows are disrupted.

Greece has no gas storage facilities and may need to store enough gas in other states to cover 15% of its annual use in the coming winter.

In a pre-recorded message aired at the 6th Southeast Europe Energy Forum 2022 held in Thessaloniki on Friday, Skrekas said Greece has transformed into a regional hub of both natural gas and green energy.

Rumors about Israel-Lebanon gas pact as Cyprus sits out - KATHIMERINI

05 SEPTEMBER 2022 - 11:35

America’s energy czar is purported to be mediating a secret gas arrangement between Israel and Lebanon, a Herculean task given delineation complexities but not farfetched given ongoing efforts to resolve similar disputes between Tel Aviv and Nicosia.

US Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein will be in Beirut this week, according to sources in Israel, in an effort to mediate talks between Lebanon and Israel over a shared maritime border.

It was reported that Hochstein would present a new Israeli proposal that "includes a solution that would allow the Lebanese to develop the gas reserves in the disputed area while preserving Israel's commercial rights.”

Israel has been seeking a similar deal with neighbor Cyprus. The two countries claim zones that border Lebanon’s waters, proven to be rich in hydrocarbons, but also claim rights to a deposit spanning across their shared maritime border.

Bulgaria to double reserve capacity at new Greek LNG terminal - REUTERS

SOFIA, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Bulgaria has reached an agreement in principle to double its reserved capacity at a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility to be built off the northern Greek port of Alexandroupolis, the interim energy minister said on Monday.

Rossen Hristov told reporters that raising the reserved capacity to 1 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas per year at the LNG terminal, expected to become operational at the end of 2023, will help the Balkan country ensure diversified and stable gas supplies.

The interim government, which has come under fire at home for seeking to renew gas supplies from Russia’s Gazprom , has said it plans to open tenders for mid to long-term gas deliveries and wanted to import more LNG gas through Greece.

The Alexandroupolis terminal is due to be built by a consortium of Greece’s Copelouzos family, Greek gas companies DEPA and DESFA, Bulgaria’s Bulgartransgaz and Cyprus’s Gaslog.

ExxonMobil asks for 2-year extension to drilling rights - KATHIMERINI

25.AUG.2022 • 22:43
Chryssa Liaggou

Energy multinational ExxonMobil has asked for a two-year extension to the lease of two fields west and southwest of Crete for oil and gas exploration.

The two fields had been leased to France’s Total for three years in October 2019, but it withdrew last April.

ExxonMobil and Greek refiner HELPE have stepped in.

Cyprus’ total potential natural gas capacity now between 11.7 tcf and 14 .7 tcf - IN-CYPRUS

23 AUGUST 2022

Annie Charalambous

TotalEnergies TTEF.PA of France and Italy’s Eni ENI.MI’s significant natural gas discovery at the Cronos-1 well off Cyprus raises the Mediterranean island’s total potential capacity between 11.7 tcf and 14 .7 tcf.

This is what Philenews reported on Tuesday, hours only after Eni said preliminary estimates indicate about 2.5 tcf of gas in place, with significant additional upside that will be investigated by a further exploration well in the area.

The island reported its first natural gas discovery, Aphrodite, in 2011, measuring around 4.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and now run by U.S. energy firm Chevron CVX.N.

Monday’s discovery marks the third offshore gas find reported in Cyprus, all of them still untapped.

And it comes as the European Union seeks alternative supply to Russian gas after Moscow’s February invasion of Ukraine.