Italian firm Eni and French major Total, fresh from bidding for Cyprus’ Block 7 (MEES, 30 November), and cooperating in a further two Blocks, 6 & 11, in the country’s offshore, will be teaming-up again in Block 8, MEES understands. The four Blocks, 6, 7, 8 and 11 form a T, north of Egypt’s Shorouk Block, where the 21.5tcf Zohr field is situated (see map, MEES, 14 December). Eni and Total, along with their partner, Russian LNG focused Novatek, also have two blocks offshore Lebanon, and plan on drilling one of the blocks next year (MEES, 10 August).
Cyprus’ Block 6 houses the January 2018 Calypso discovery and MEES learns that the field overlaps into Block 7 and explains the two firms’ interest. Eni is planning to drill an appraisal well at the block in the second half of 2019 to get a better indication of reserves. Eni has confirmed though that the field is a “Zohr-like” play while CEO Claudio Descalzi told reporters in Cairo in February that he believes the field holds at least 6-8tcf of reserves (MEES, 16 February). (CONTINUED - 238 WORDS)
