 Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias delivers a speech to the members of the Greek Parliament in Athens in this file photo. In a letter to Christofias, Delek CEO Assi Bartfeld poposed to jointly set up an energy facility. AP photo |
Israeli energy company Delek is proposing a partnership with Greek Cyprus to build a facility on the island for processing and exporting natural gas discovered in the eastern Mediterranean.
In a Jan. 9 letter addressed to Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias, Delek chief executive Assi Bartfeld said the multipurpose facility also would be used to meet Cyprus' domestic energy needs "for decades." The letter was shown to the Associated Press Thursday by a Greek Cyprus government official who requested anonymity.
In the letter, Bartfeld said the gas would come from the Leviathan field discovered off Israel that contains more than 450 billion cubic meters (15.9 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas, as well as deposits believed to lie inside Cypriot waters near the Israeli finds.
Delek also would build facilities at the site to liquefy the gas and produce other liquid fuels for export to "consumers all over the world."
"We are confident that this project will enable Cyprus to satisfy its domestic energy needs from a clean and cheap source and to transform Cyprus from an importer of energy to a regional hub for exporting natural gas," the letter said.
Bartfeld asked Christofias to present his "vision" for the project and for meetings between Greek Cypriot and Delek officials to discuss practical aspects of the project.
No formal reply yet
The Greek Cypriot government hasn't formally replied to Delek's proposal, but it could complicate the island's negotiations with other potential liquefied natural gas suppliers.
Cyprus is dependent on oil imports for energy generation and has opted to diversify with natural gas.
Paschalides said earlier this month that Royal Dutch Shell has made the best liquefied natural gas supply offer of 4.5 billion euros ($5.9 billion) offer over a 20-year period.
The Electricity Authority of Cyprus is negotiating with bidders separately for a re-gasification and storage terminal. With the Delek offer, Paschalides said "all relevant facts" would be factored into any final decision.
Meanwhile, Greek Cyprus will press ahead later this year with a second licensing round for gas exploration inside the island's own 51,000-square-kilometer exploration area off its southern coastline.
Greek Cyprus already has licensed Texas-based Noble Energy after the initial licensing round in 2007 to explore an 800,000-acre (1,250-square-mile) area near Leviathan.
Delek is part of a consortium led by Noble Energy that is exploiting Israel's offshore natural gas finds.
Greek Cyprus and Israel signed an accord last month demarcating their maritime borders that triggered strong reaction from Turkey, which called the deal "null and void" because it ignores the rights and jurisdiction of Turkish Cypriots.
In a Jan. 9 letter addressed to Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias, Delek chief executive Assi Bartfeld said the multipurpose facility also would be used to meet Cyprus' domestic energy needs "for decades." The letter was shown to the Associated Press Thursday by a Greek Cyprus government official who requested anonymity.
In the letter, Bartfeld said the gas would come from the Leviathan field discovered off Israel that contains more than 450 billion cubic meters (15.9 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas, as well as deposits believed to lie inside Cypriot waters near the Israeli finds.
Delek also would build facilities at the site to liquefy the gas and produce other liquid fuels for export to "consumers all over the world."
"We are confident that this project will enable Cyprus to satisfy its domestic energy needs from a clean and cheap source and to transform Cyprus from an importer of energy to a regional hub for exporting natural gas," the letter said.
Bartfeld asked Christofias to present his "vision" for the project and for meetings between Greek Cypriot and Delek officials to discuss practical aspects of the project.
No formal reply yet
The Greek Cypriot government hasn't formally replied to Delek's proposal, but it could complicate the island's negotiations with other potential liquefied natural gas suppliers.
Cyprus is dependent on oil imports for energy generation and has opted to diversify with natural gas.
Paschalides said earlier this month that Royal Dutch Shell has made the best liquefied natural gas supply offer of 4.5 billion euros ($5.9 billion) offer over a 20-year period.
The Electricity Authority of Cyprus is negotiating with bidders separately for a re-gasification and storage terminal. With the Delek offer, Paschalides said "all relevant facts" would be factored into any final decision.
Meanwhile, Greek Cyprus will press ahead later this year with a second licensing round for gas exploration inside the island's own 51,000-square-kilometer exploration area off its southern coastline.
Greek Cyprus already has licensed Texas-based Noble Energy after the initial licensing round in 2007 to explore an 800,000-acre (1,250-square-mile) area near Leviathan.
Delek is part of a consortium led by Noble Energy that is exploiting Israel's offshore natural gas finds.
Greek Cyprus and Israel signed an accord last month demarcating their maritime borders that triggered strong reaction from Turkey, which called the deal "null and void" because it ignores the rights and jurisdiction of Turkish Cypriots.
No comments:
Post a Comment