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Cyprus mulls natgas licensing round as demands remains robust

Cyprus is considering a new licensing round for offshore natural gas expedition as demand stays strong in spite of global attempts to move away from fossil fuels, its energy minister said.

Tucked in the north-eastern corner of the Mediterranean, Cyprus has actually reported several discoveries given that 2011 including an approximated 15-16 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of untapped natural gas - the equivalent of almost half the yearly output of the United States, the world's largest producer.

That has actually stimulated interest from global business amid unpredictability about products from Russia because its full-blown intrusion of Ukraine in 2022, and about the future of new melted gas jobs.

We remain in the process of evaluating potential interest, Energy Minister George Papanastasiou informed Reuters when asked about the capacity for a new licensing round. Upon seeing some interest we might choose to choose another licensing round, yes.

The east Mediterranean has actually yielded major gas discoveries in the previous decade, mostly off Israel and Egypt. Cyprus has 13 offshore obstructs, 10 of which are under licence to energy majors including Eni, Exxon Mobil Chevron and TotalEnergies.

Blocks available might be either those not under licence, or blocks where operators might wish to relinquish their licence, Papanastasiou said, without going into detail.

If we see any evidence that a few of these blocks might be launched, we might decide to opt for another licensing round, he said.

Papanastasiou, who dealt with energy majors for 40 years before his consultation as energy minister in 2022, was just recently in Abu Dhabi, where he had contacts with senior authorities of United Arab Emirates' huge Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC).

The potential for the area was continuing to create interest, he said.

We require to develop this wealth ... and this is what we intend to do, he stated.

Cyprus has a target of creating 33% of its energy from eco-friendly sources by 2030, up from 19% today. However despite almost year-round sunshine, an absence of power storage and an ageing grid have restricted sustainable output, especially for solar.

In the coming weeks, authorities will release tenders for solar battery storage facilities that will assist satisfy those targets, the minister said.

We believe it is possible to meet the targets, he said.

Still, he acknowledged that natural gas was attractive - it is less contaminating and cheaper than the heavy fuel oil now firing the grid.

Gas still has a few years of survival, of life in this (energy) mix.

Papanastasiou stated he prepared for a gas field discovered in 2022 by Italy's Eni and France's TotalEnergies would be the initially to enter production, around 2027, while another run by U.S major Chevron would be closer to 2029 or 2030.

(source: Reuters)