Chypre

[energy_isere]

ExxonMobil lance une nouvelle exploration gazière à Chypre

AFP le 24 janvier 2025

Les géants américain et qatari de l'énergie ExxonMobil et Qatar Energy ont lancé une nouvelle opération de forage au large de Chypre dans le but d'y exploiter des gisements de gaz, ont annoncé vendredi des responsables.

L'île, qui espère devenir un acteur énergétique majeur en Méditerranée orientale, dispose d'une Zone économique exclusive (ZEE) découpée en 13 blocs potentiellement riches en gaz.

Le président Nikos Christodoulides a indiqué sur X qu'ExxonMobil et Qatar Energy avaient commencé un forage d'évaluation dans le bloc 5 de la ZEE.

"Chypre poursuit ses activités d'exploration avec l'objectif de devenir une source (...) fiable de gaz naturel pour l'Union européenne", a-t-il ajouté, alors que l'UE cherche des sources alternatives de gaz naturel depuis l'invasion de l'Ukraine par la Russie il y a presque trois ans.

Le ministère chypriote de l'Energie a confirmé qu'un navire de forage avait "commencé les opérations de forage (...) dans le bloc 5".

ExxonMobil et Qatar Energy disposent de deux licences d'exploration au large de Chypre.

En 2019, ces deux compagnies avaient annoncé la découverte d'énormes réserves de gaz naturel dans le bloc 10, la plus grande jamais réalisée sur l'île, estimées entre 142 et 227 milliards de mètres cubes.

Un autre nouveau forage d'évaluation est prévu dans ce bloc 10.

Des responsables ont indiqué qu'ExxonMobil était en discussion avec un consortium composé de l'Italien Eni et du Français Total afin d'unir leurs découvertes pour rendre le développement économiquement viable.

Ce consortium rival détient la majorité des blocs d'exploration, soit sept des 13 situés au sud de l'île.

L'Egypte et Israël ont réalisé d'importantes découvertes dans les eaux voisines ces dernières années, ce qui a encouragé Chypre à poursuivre ses recherches.

Les autorités chypriotes estiment que la production destinée à générer de l'électricité domestique pourrait débuter dès 2027.

Cependant, la Turquie conteste au gouvernement chypriote, qui n'exerce son autorité que sur les deux tiers sud de l'île, le droit de mener toute exploration et exploitation des ressources énergétiques sans la conclusion au préalable d'un accord pour régler la division de Chypre.

L'armée turque a envahi l'île en 1974 en réaction à un coup d'Etat de nationalistes chypriotes-grecs qui souhaitaient la rattacher à la Grèce et occupe depuis le tiers nord de Chypre.

La partie nord a été autoproclamée en 1983 République turque de Chypre-Nord (RTCN), une entité seulement reconnue par Ankara.

https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org ... pre-250124

[dysgraphik]

Je n'avais pas réalisé que le projet d'interconnection électrique entre la Grece Chypre et Israel
( https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroAsia_Interconnector)
avait été mis en pause suite à des pressions (manoeuvres militaires) turques.

https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/en ... ut-on-ice/

Ce n'est pas encore pour demain que chypre rejoindra la plaque électrique européenne...

[energy_isere]

Cyprus Announces New Gas Discovery in Block 10

by Jov Onsat|Rigzone Staff | Tuesday, July 08, 2025

Exxon Mobil Corp. and QatarEnergy have made another natural gas discovery in Block 10 offshore Cyprus, the presidential office said Monday.

“The ‘Pegasus-1’ well, located about 190 kilometers offshore southwest of Cyprus, indicated approximately 350 meters of gas-bearing reservoir”, the presidency said in an online statement after meeting with ExxonMobil officials.

The well was drilled by Valaris DS-9 in 1,921 meters (6,302.49 feet) of water, according to the statement.

“Further assessment will be required in the coming months to evaluate the results”, the statement added.

This is the second discovery in the block, which, according to ExxonMobil, spans 635,554 acres (2,572 square kilometers) southwest of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Seven years ago the partners found a gas-bearing reservoir about 436 feet in Glaucus-1. The discovery was drilled 13,780 feet deep in 6,769 feet of water, according to ExxonMobil.

“Based on preliminary interpretation of the well data, the discovery could represent an in-place natural gas resource of approximately 5 trillion to 8 trillion cubic feet (142 billion to 227 billion cubic meters)”, the United States energy giant said in a press release February 28, 2019.

Steve Greenlee, then-president of ExxonMobil Exploration Co., said, “These are encouraging results in a frontier exploration area”.

An earlier well, Delphyne-1, did not yield commercial quantities of hydrocarbons.

In March 2022 appraisal well Glaucus-2 confirmed a “high-quality gas-bearing reservoir”, according to the government. As of 2022, the best estimate of gas-in-place resources in the Glaucus discovery was 3.7 trillion cubic feet, according to online information from Cyprus’ Energy, Commerce and Industry Ministry.

ExxonMobil operates Block 10 with a 60 percent stake. QatarEnergy holds 40 percent. The license was awarded April 2017.

Texas-based ExxonMobil and state-owned QatarEnergy are also partners in Cyprus’ Block 5, for which they signed an exploration and production sharing contract December 2021 with ExxonMobil as operator.

In April 2025 the Energy Ministry announced that results from the Elektra-1 well in Block 5 indicated the presence of gas in non-commercial volumes.

“According to Operator’s early assessment, ‘Elektra-1’ has yielded encouraging results, confirming the existence of a hydrocarbon system and good quality reservoirs”, the ministry said. “The data collected during the drilling operations are being evaluated to determine consortium’s future plans in Block 5”.

Drilling activities continue and geological studies are underway in the block, according to the ministry.

The block covers 3,416 square kilometers (1,318.92 square miles), it says.

https://www.rigzone.com/news/cyprus_ann ... 8-article/

[energy_isere]

Exxon Confirms Significant Reserves at Cyprus Gas Discovery

By Irina Slav - Sep 26, 2025

Exxon has estimated the size of a natural gas discovery off the coast of Cyprus at between 8 and 9 trillion cubic feet, local media has reported, citing a meeting between the supermajor and the president of the island nation.

“Based on preliminary data, combined with the existing ‘Glafkos’ field, [Pegasus] reserves are estimated at 8 to 9 trillion cubic feet. These are very positive findings and encouraging messages from ExxonMobil,” Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letympiotis said, as quoted by Greek City Times.

Exxon is exploring for natural gas in Cyprus in tandem with QatarEnergy. The two made their first discovery back in 2019, sparking hopes for more. Earlier this year, a drilling campaign in another offshore block failed to turn any commercial finds and Exxon ended. The well encountered gas, but in quantities too small for development, with the outcome raising concerns about the broader resource potential in Cyprus’s southern offshore acreage. In Block 10, however, the supermajor and QatarEnergy struck gas twice, and now there is confirmation that the finds are commercial.

Cyprus is advancing plans to become a regional gas export hub, and Block 10 is central to those ambitions. Possible development scenarios include subsea tiebacks to Egypt’s liquefaction plants at Idku or Damietta, which could offer a near-term export route to Europe and Asia. However, given the complexity of deepwater development and the earlier absence of declared volumes, a final investment decision remained a distant prospect.

This could change with the latest update, adding to four more gas discoveries made offshore Cyprus and highlighting the emergence of the Eastern Mediterranean as a potential gas production and export hub. Besides the Pegasus and the Galfkos discoveries, Exxon and QatarEnergy have one more in Block 10, the Glaukus-1. Separately, Italian Eni and French ToalEnergies have struck gas at three wells in Block 6. One of these, Cronos, has reserves estimated at 3.1 trillion cubic feet, and the other, Zeus, holds an estimated 2.5 trillion cubic feet of gas.

8 trillion cubic feet c'est 226 milliards de m3. Pas mal comme découverte !