Eni and partner Total are targeting drilling on Block 6 offshore Cyprus by the end of this year, the Italian major has said.
It will be just nine months after the signature of the Block 6 exploration and production sharing contract (EPSC), the firm has said. Following the well on Block 6, Eni and partner Kogas will start the drilling the first exploration well in Block 3, Eni said.
The comments were made following a visit by Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi to Nicosia, Cyprus, where he met with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiadis.
Egypt’s major Zohr discovery made many look at the Mediterranean differently, including Cypriot waters. Demetris Fessas, executive manager, at the Cyprus Hydrocarbons Company, told a global opportunities conference session at the Offshore Energy event in Amsterdam in October, that there is a lot of activity in the region.
Many are interested in “exploration 2.0.” The original activities offshore Cyprus focused on the clastic plays, says Fessas. “After Zohr, 6km from our exclusive economic zone, we reviewed the carbonate prospects [similar to Zohr] and found potential,” says Fessas. “The third round was held on back of that.”
The Onesiphorus West exploration well drilled using the West Capella drillship in 1698m water depth, on Block 11 by Total/Eni, earlier this year, confirmed the carbonate play does exist in Cyprus, although it wasn’t a commercial discovery. Results of this well are being used to plan two to three exploration wells on blocks 3, 6 and 8 in 1H, 2018. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil is also planning at least two wells in 2H 2018 on Block 10, says Fessas.
“Regionally, there is a lot of activity. Israel has Leviathan (under development), Tamar (producing but could expand), and Karish (considering an FPSO). In Egypt, there’s the Zohr discovery, with first gas due by the end of the year, and West Nile Delta Deep.
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