Friday, May 2, 2014

Oilfield services leaders to set up regional base in Cyprus | Cyprus Mail

Oilfield services leaders to set up regional base in Cyprus

Oilfield services leaders to set up regional base in Cyprus


By Elias Hazou

Halliburton and Schlumberger, two of the world’s largest oilfield services companies, have chosen Cyprus as their base of operations for the eastern Mediterranean.

The Mail has learned that the two multinational corporations will sign the relevant agreements with the government this month.

The Halliburton agreement will likely be concluded the weekend after the next (May 10 or 11), with Schlumberger putting ink on paper one or two weeks later.

Gas expert Charles Ellinas, former executive chairman of the Cyprus National Hydrocarbons Company, named the two companies when asked by the Mail about local press reports suggesting two multinationals were about to set up shop here.

He said Halliburton in particular have been looking to rent land for their base of operations in the Aradippou/Larnaca area, close to the Larnaca harbour and the airport.

Halliburton provides drilling services and gear for companies prospecting for hydrocarbons.
Their base in Cyprus will cover the entire East Mediterranean, which is expected to become a hotbed of exploration activity in the years to come.

“Halliburton estimates that over the next few years around 50 to 60 new wells are going to be drilled in the East Med. We’re talking about Israel, Cyprus, and Lebanon. Supposing that drilling costs are anywhere from $5bn to $7bn, should Halliburton get half those contracts, it’s well worth it for them,” Ellinas said.

The island’s political stability is the chief reason why Schlumberger and Halliburton have picked Cyprus as the location for their regional base of operations.

“It makes more sense to set up shop here rather than, say, Lebanon or Egypt,” said Ellinas. “This is a big deal for us.”

Halliburton’s activities here would consist of storing their drilling gear and opening up offices.

“Once they’re up and running, they’d start bringing in their equipment. In addition to storage space, the gear would have to be serviced, the company would need supplies etc. This is where local companies come in, providing support services.”

And, according to Ellinas, Halliburton, which operate in more than 80 countries, tend to set up management teams but then hire locals to do the work.

Over the course of their operation here, the US corporation could thus hire and train hundreds of locals, he said.

Schlumberger, arguably the world’s largest oilfield services company, has its principal offices located in Houston, Paris, and the Hague. In the industry they are known as sub-surface specialists, and develop a lot of the software used to analyse seismic data.

Ellinas sounded a note of caution, however: “We need to encourage oil and gas companies by cutting down on the red tape. These companies may be competing, but they’re also talking to one other. If one of them is unhappy operating in Cyprus, word spreads.”

The Italian-Korean consortium ENI-KOGAS are expected to carry out exploratory drilling in one of their Cypriot offshore licenses in the second half of the year. Already at Larnaca harbour, space has been allotted to Malta-based Medserv, oil and gas logistics specialists, acting as subcontractors for ENI-KOGAS.
Medserv’s facilities in Larnaca could conceivably be used by companies like Halliburton and Schlumberger in the future, said Ellinas.

Noble Energy meanwhile, intend to carry out additional drilling in their Block 12 concession later this year and/or in 2015.

In late 2011 theTexas-based outfit discovered gross mean resources of 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas offshore Cyprus.


Link to source: http://cyprus-mail.com/2014/05/02/oilfield-services-leaders-to-set-up-regional-base-in-cyprus/

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Three Reasons Why the East Med is Not Yet a Solution for Europe | Natural Gas Europe

May 01st, 2014 12:10am

The Russian military intervention in East Ukraine triggered various debates, the most important being centered around Europe’s energy security. Largely dependent on Russian natural gas, Europe must work towards diversifying its sources of supply in order to ensure a reliable flow of energy and thus become more robust to face dependency on Russia. In the short term, increasing imports from existing suppliers is a good starting point. In the medium term, Europe can seek to import natural gas in the form of LNG from the US and rethink shale and nuclear. In the longer term, importing gas from the Eastern Mediterranean could present itself as an option for Europe.

While the Eastern Mediterranean countries have formulated the ambition to supply natural gas to a Europe seeking to loosen Russia’s grip over the gas market, energy experts argue that despite the substantial amounts of hydrocarbon in the Levant basin, the impact of Eastern Mediterranean gas on energy security will be minimal. Importing gas from the Eastern Mediterranean might be of interest to Europe. The EU is likely to support an Eastern Mediterranean corridor involving the strategic triangle Israel, Cyprus and Turkey.

However, Eastern Mediterranean gas cannot be considered by itself a solution to the EU for three reasons: the quantities are modest, the timeframe is not suitable and the region suffers from political hurdles.

About the quantities

“An estimated 122 trillion cubic feet (tcf) (mean estimate) of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas are in the Levant Basin Province, located in the Eastern Mediterranean region” according to a press release by the U.S. Geological Survey from 2010. However, the current proven reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean would only satisfy EU domestic needs for one year. Around 500 bcm are currently available for exports, most of which discovered by Israel in the Tamar and Leviathan fields. The Tamar field was discovered in 2009 and production started in March 2013 yielding 283 bcm of proved gas reserves. The Leviathan is estimated at 510 bcm with production expected by 2017. While the Tamar field is mostly allocated to satisfy the Israeli consumption previously reliant on Egyptian imports, the Leviathan is likely to be exported. A decision in principle has been taken by the Israeli authorities to export the gas. The Israeli Supreme Court ratified in October 2013 a June 2013 cabinet decision to export 40% of Israel’s proven reserves (approximately 410 bcm).

Neighbouring Cyprus has also commenced exploration activities conducted by Texas-based Noble Energy. The island encountered natural gas in its Aphrodite field discovered in 2011 in block 12 of its EEZ. However, the proven quantities do not justify the island’s LNG project in its Vassilikos site and therefore Cyprus is awaiting further successful discoveries before it can pursue the undertaking. Preliminary results indicate a range of natural gas volumes of 102 bcm to 170 bcm with a gross mean of 142 bcm, less than originally expected. An LNG terminal would allow the island the flexibility to reach customers including Europe and Asia. A collaboration with Israel would have facilitated the investment decision but Israel has not yet taken a decision in this direction.

About the timeframe

Given that the Tamar will be mostly used by the Israeli market, it is the Leviathan field that could be directed to Europe. Production from the Leviathan is expected by 2017 but it will take much longer for the gas to reach export markets beyond Israel’s immediate neighbours (Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and potentially Egypt). While Israel has taken a final decision in regards to allowing exports, it has not yet decided on export routes. Whether it will choose to deliver its gas via pipeline or LNG remains uncertain. Israel could opt to participate in Cyprus LNG. It could also use Egypt’s LNG export terminals although using an LNG terminal on the red sea is not free from security threats. Exporting gas via pipeline is also being discussed at the moment.

Further exploratory drilling is expected in Cypriot waters in 2014-2015. Successful results would allow Cyprus to secure the needed funds to move forward with its LNG terminal. As to Lebanon, the country has not yet launched its bidding round delayed by two pending decrees that will define the blocks open for bidding and set the model sharing agreement.

The fact that the Eastern Mediterranean countries are still at different stages of shaping their energy industries is an additional reason - along with the limited quantities of hydrocarbon discovered to date - why the Eastern Mediterranean does not - yet - constitute by itself a substitute to Russian gas for Europe.

About the political hurdles

The Eastern Mediterranean region has historically suffered from political tensions and rivalries. There is a pending maritime border dispute between Israel and Lebanon. The two countries are technically at war and both of them claim a triangular area of 850 square kilometers as their own. There is also the division of the island of Cyprus that remains to date split between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots. And there is the ongoing tension between Israel and Turkey. Diplomatic relations between the two countries have deteriorated since the Mavi Mara incident in 2010. Efforts to resume ties have begun in March 2013 with Israel’s apology to Turkey and the two countries seem to be together moving forward towards an energy collaboration but are not there quite yet. For the Eastern Mediterranean to find energy prosperity as a whole, cooperation needs to be established. Only then can the Eastern Mediterranean aspire to participate in Europe’s energy portfolio.

Karen Ayat is an analyst focused on energy geopolitics in the Eastern Mediterranean. Email Karen on ayat_karen@hotmail.com. Follow her on Twitter: @karenayat


Link to source: http://www.naturalgaseurope.com/east-med-not-yet-a-solution-for-europe?utm_source=Natural+Gas+Europe+Newsletter&utm_campaign=47bddcda40-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c95c702d4c-47bddcda40-307781293

Union Fenosa needs gas for its liquid gas export terminal in Egypt | Globes

Spanish co in talks to buy 20% of Tamar gas

Tamar gas drilling

Union Fenosa needs gas for its liquid gas export terminal in Egypt


Spanish gas company Union Fenosa SA (Madrid: UNF) is in talks with the Tamar partners to buy 20% of the natural gas in the field. The Tamar natural gas field partners are Noble Energy Inc. (NYSE: NBL), Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) units Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L) and Delek Drilling Limited Partnership (TASE: DEDR.L), Isramco Ltd. (Nasdaq: ISRL; TASE: ISRA.L) and Alon Natural Gas Exploration Ltd. (TASE: ALGS).

The talks with Union Fenosa were reported in the 2013 financial statements of the Tamar partners.

If the agreement is signed with the Tamar partners then the natural gas will be exported through Union Fenosa and ENI's liquid natural gas installation in Egypt.

Such a contract would be worth $1.3 billion annually for the Tamar partners.

The Tamar field contains 10 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 1, 2014

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2014





Link to source: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-spanish-co-in-talks-to-buy-20-of-tamar-gas-1000935599

Pipe laying vessel “Castorone” docks in Limassol | Cyprus News Agency (CNA / ΚΥΠΕ)

Pipe laying vessel “Castorone” docks in Limassol - REPEAT
CNA - Limassol 1/5/2014 16:04



Pipe laying vessel “Castorone” anchored  T h u r s d a y  morning at Limassol harbor.
The 374 meters long ship is the biggest vessel that has ever docked at Cyprus` southern coastal city and belongs to SAIPEM, a subsidiary of energy company E&P ENI.

Cyprus is the first European country “Castorone” is docking for refueling purposes, while preparing to undertake subsea operations in Egypt.

(CNA)

*The full text of the news item is available in the paid version of the CNA web service. Subscription Form

*CNA reserves the copyright to the news stories it files, which is granted to subscribers for specific use only.


Link to source: http://www.cna.org.cy/webnewsEN.asp?a=3e57e34e4bc74f46a115e4011b24512c

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCqK9zYXTAk (Source: ANT1)

Article in Greek: http://www.philenews.com/el-gr/oikonomia-kypros/146/197201/stin-kypro-ploio-megathirio-exeidikevmeno-ston-tomea-ton-ydrogonathrakon (Source: Ο ΦΙΛΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΟΣ)

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Israeli Gas Field Owners Eye $2 Bln in Bonds to Finance Leviathan Project | Wall Street Journal

11:14 am ET
Apr 29, 2014

Israeli Gas Field Owners Eye $2 Bln in Bonds to Finance Leviathan Project

By Israel has yet to ink any deals to export its offshore natural gas finds to countries overseas, but the local owners of the giant Leviathan field are hoping Israeli, U.S., and European bond investors will help finance the project to the tune of $2 billion.

According to a press release late Monday, Leviathan partners Delek Drilling and Avner Oil and GasAVOGF 0.00% — which partnered with Houston-based Noble Energy Ltd.NBL +0.08% in the gas find — have started a road show to sell dollar-denominated bonds to investors in Israel, the U.S., and Europe over the coming weeks.

The two companies have formed a separate firm “Delek and Avner Ltd.” under which the bonds will be sold.
“Once completed, this will be the biggest capital raise [sic] held by an Israeli company,” the statement said.

The stock exchange notice cautioned, however, there is no certainty that the offering will be a success.
Still, the sum reflects bullish expectations for the export potential of the Leviathan reserves. Noble Chief Executive Charles Davidson said  after the company reported first-quarter results on April 24 that the consortium was close to a regional export agreement, but didn’t say with whom, the Israeli business daily Globes reported.

A 127-page report on the natural gas market included with the Monday bourse statement said the prospects that Israeli off-shore gas will reach overseas markets are “significantly’’ more than 50 percent, or “highly likely.’’

In the dossier, prepared by Israeli consultancy Economic Models’ Ltd., on top of the 875 billion cubic meters of expected demand for natural gas from the Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian markets over the next 26 years there’s potential to export an additional 370 billion cubic meters over the same period
Leviathan, discovered in 2010, has 19 trillion cubic feet, or 538 billion cubic meters, of proven reserves and is the largest off shore natural gas find in the Mediterranean. The discovery left Israel with a surplus of domestic gas reserves and spurred export talks.

The partners already signed deals to supply the Palestinian territories and Jordan, but export potential via Egypt, Cyprus or Turkey is much larger. The Economic Models report said that underutilized liquefied gas facilities in Egypt hold an “economically attractive immediate outlet for Israel’s gas export.’’

Gideon Tadmor, chairman of Delek Drilling and chief executive of Avner, said at a natural gas conference in March that Israeli natural gas exports to neighboring countries have the potential to stabilize the region.
The announcement of the bond sale comes a month after negotiations to sell a stake valued at some $2.6 billion to Australia’s Woodside Petroleum Ltd.WPL.AU -0.49% hit a snag hours before a signing ceremony in Jerusalem over a tax dispute with the Israeli government.

Noble Chief Executive Charles Davidson told investors, that even though he wants Woodside to join, “we and our existing partners are moving forward and we are starting to take steps to make sure we can deliver on this project,’’ according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The bond roadshow will be led by investment banks JP Morgan, Citi and HSBC., and accompanied by the Israeli underwriter Leader Capital Markets.


Link to source: http://blogs.wsj.com/middleeast/2014/04/29/israeli-gas-field-owners-eye-2-bln-in-bonds-to-finance-leviathan-project/

Monday, April 28, 2014

Q&A Session Ahead of 'The Future of Greek Gas and Power Markets' | Natural Gas Europe




April 28th, 2014 

Q&A Session Ahead of 'The Future of Greek Gas and Power Markets'





Conference on video: http://www.livemedia.com/athensgasandpower


Natural Gas Europe held a Q&A session with Dr. Kostas Andriosopoulos, Executive Director of RCEM and Assistant Professor of ESCP Europe Business School, along with Alexandros Lagakos, Chairman of the Greek Energy Forum, ahead The Future of Greek Gas and Power Markets: Looking Ahead with Optimism and Realism

The conference will be held in Athens on 29 April 2014 and will focus on the present day challenges and trends of the Greek and EU gas and energy markets from a strategic and tactical point of view.  Key aspects of the modern-day natural gas "game" and how this affects Greece's domestic markets and the overall regional and European impact will also be discussed.  Special focus will be paid on trends ahead, which will be of great interest to both  governmental figures and corporate entities alike. The event will feature speeches by politicians, top level managers, diplomatic delegations and scientific experts.

 "Greece is already on the way of progressing into an energy corridor"


Q: The European energy market and in particular the natural gas market can be said to be in a turmoil and in the midst of significant changes. How do you assess from a strategic point of view the current state of affairs?


A:
Europe is currently struggling to balance amongst three fundamental objectives, which are not necessarily fully compatible with one another, hence making this a very challenging exercise; low cost energy, security of supply and environmental friendliness – known as the “energy trilemma”. NW Europe has already gone a long way in boosting market competition but in principle this is not adequate to ensure security of supply. The latter requires long-term investments and hence investment repayment via charges and taxes, which impair the competitiveness of European economies. And so does the element of minimising the carbon footprint of our energy mix. These are all noble causes but the society needs eventually to compromise on the best available solution, in our effort to jointly – but not equally – serve the aforementioned strategic objectives.
We think that natural gas as an energy source fulfills the necessary criteria to become our vehicle for a transition to a cleaner, greener, cheaper and more reliable European energy future.

Q: There has been a lot of talk regarding the “diversification” of European natural gas supplies. Do you think that this is a feasible task and what are the challenges ahead?


A:
Yes, we definitely believe so. Europe is a traditional natural gas market and hence fundamentally an attractive destination for global supplies. It is solely up to the EU to promote diversification and enable a market-oriented optimisation of flows within the European continent. In order to achieve this, Europe needs to push on harder for the expansion of market integration to the South through more liberalisation and by providing the necessary funding - not just political support - in exploiting indigenous gas resources and building regional interconnections.

There is definitely a monetary value assigned to European security of supply and Europe must help private investors that financially back important energy projects to realise this economical value in their books. For instance, there is definitely a value for Europe in committing gas molecules that will be extracted from SE Med fields to flow via pipeline to EU soil. This is perhaps not yet reflected in free-market economics, so European governments need to make this business proposition more attractive to private investors that will be considering backing any export solutions for SE Med gas, including of course the preferred solution for the Cypriot Government - that of an LNG facility in Vassilikos.

Q: How can Greece become a 'gas price hub' and what should the priorities be of Greek stakeholders in natural gas sector?


A:
Greece is already a meeting point of several different sources of gas, originating from different producers and hence each priced on a different basis; indicative examples include Russian and Azeri gas, Algerian and Qatari LNG. So, inherently Greece has great price optionality at its disposal. At the same time, the existing and prospective interconnections that are on the way (existing interconnections with Turkey and Bulgaria, Trans-Adriatic pipeline, Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria) will further enhance trading activity to monetise regional spreads.

On top of that, projects like the expansion of storage capacity in the LNG Revithoussa terminal, the planning for an underground storage in Kavala together with two new LNG terminals in Northern Greece should provide the option for time-spread plays as well. All these physical developments in combination with the intense and ongoing market liberalisation effort that the current Greek government is promoting have the capacity to develop Greece in a gas price and trading hub for the region.

Q: Regarding the Greek market, do you estimate that the country will become an important player in Europe, either as a producer or an energy corridor?


A:
Greek gas findings will be a game-changer for Greece and the SE European region and will upgrade their energy prospects and potential in the long-run. Although the impact of this development for the region will be strong, this will only be evident when Greece has managed to demonstrate its role as an energy corridor for the whole of Europe.

Greece is already on the way of progressing into an energy corridor by enhancing its existing regional interconnections as well as investing in new transit routes of pan-European interest. The IGB pipeline will allow for LNG, as well as Shah Deniz volumes, to flow towards the North, whereas TAP will provide an interconnection (potentially bi-directional) between Greece and Italy from 2019 onwards. So, Greece will shortly have a direct connection to two of the biggest European gas markets: Turkey and Italy. If by then TAG has materialised its announced plan to allow reverse flows to Germany, then Greece will end up having a connection interface (direct or indirect) to almost 90% of the pan-European demand. Therefore, we do foresee a positive and interesting future of the Greek gas market with realism and optimism, as per the title of our prospective international energy conference in Athens, on the 29th of April.



Link to source: http://www.naturalgaseurope.com/kostas-andriosopoulos-alexandros-lagakos-future-greek-gas-power-markets?utm_source=Natural+Gas+Europe+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1cefdfe433-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c95c702d4c-1cefdfe433-307781293