Cyprus Set To Launch Reduced Drilling Campaign

22 Apr 2022 Issue: 65 / 16 By: Peter Stevenson

Eni and TotalEnergies are set to kick-off a two-well Cyprus exploration drilling campaign next month, two years after abandoning a six-well program. Chevron appears to have shelved an appraisal well on its 2011 Aphrodite find.

Italy’s Eni and TotalEnergies, partners on seven blocks offshore Cyprus, are gearing up to kick off drilling on two Cyprus exploration wells by the end of May. Whilst on balance good news for Cyprus, where exploration has stalled with only one official well since early 2019, this is nevertheless a marked downgrade from previous Eni/Total plans for six 2020-21 wells, plans that were scrapped as they and other IOCs took an ax to capex in early 2020 (MEES, 8 May 2020).

Drilling next month will kick off with the Cronos prospect on Block 6 (Eni 50%op, Total 50%), MEES learns. Block 6 also houses 2018’s 6-8tcf Calypso discovery (MEES, 16 February 2018). One of the six 2020 wells was slated to further appraise Calypso. MEES understands that the second 2022 well will now likely focus on the same trend, but somewhat further afield. (CONTINUED - 1163 WORDS)