Upstream projects awaiting Greek State reassurances

Local and foreign upstream companies holding exploration and production licenses for hydrocarbon reserves on Greek territory, offshore and onshore, are awaiting Greek State reassurances for their ventures following a cabinet reshuffle that has resulted in a change of leadership at the energy ministry, bringing in Kostas Skrekas in place of Costis Hatzidakis.

Oil companies, delaying investment plans as a result of the pandemic and lower oil prices, are waiting for a vote of confidence from the Greek State, market sources insist.

The fall in oil prices, currently at levels of about 50 dollar a barrel, may have halted upstream investments internationally, but, nevertheless, this is a good time for resolving bureaucratic obstacles and preparing local communities for prospective exploration efforts that promise to contribute to job creation and economic recovery.

Four upstream investment plans are currently either at an advanced stage in terms of prospective drilling or at preliminary exploration stages.

Of all four plans, Energean’s license for Katakolo, western Greece, is at the most mature stage. Public consultation on an environmental impact study concerning this project’s drilling requirements was completed in December, 2019. The regional authority for western Greece has offered its approval. Even so, a year later, the energy ministry has yet to deliver its decision on the environmental study.

A license for the Gulf of Patras field, held by Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE) and Edison, is also at a mature stage. The partners requested, and were granted, an extension for the start of drilling at this field. EDEY, the Greek Hydrocarbon Management Company, granted the pair a further 15 months, until January 23, 2023, to facilitate their preparations.

Sources have attributed this additional time to a lack of appropriate regional port facilities, needed to facilitate the installation of equipment required for drilling. ELPE and Edison had previously been given another extension, until October, 2021.

On another front, a partnership comprising Repsol and Energean has until April to start a second stage of exploration activities at its Ioannina block in northwestern Greece. Local community approval is needed. The government needs to take action on the issue.

A fourth upstream project carrying geopolitical weight concerns licenses held by a consortium made up of Total, ExxonMobil and ELPE for offshore fields west and southwest of Crete. Though company representatives recently informed Crete’s regional authorities that seismic surveys are planned to begin towards spring, there have been no further updates or any signs of action.

Greek upstream investments suspended, oil crisis hits hard

The current oil crisis, prompted by a Saudi-Russian price war and lower demand amid the coronavirus pandemic, comes as the latest setback for the upstream sector. The oil price slide, during which prices have plummeted to levels as low as 25 dollars per barrel, had added to the strain already felt by investors as a result of excessive bureaucracy in the Greek market.

Upstream players, troubled by the overall uncertainty, are believed to have suspended their investment plans despite a mild market rebound over the past few days, lifting oil prices to levels between 33 and 34 dollars per barrel.

Energean Oil & Gas’ Katakolo license off western Peloponnese and the Gulf of Patras license, co-owned by Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE) and Energean, rank as Greece’s two most mature upstream projects.

An environmental study for the Katakolo license has not yet been approved by the energy ministry. Even if it had, Energean would not move ahead with the venture under the existing market conditions. Current oil price levels would simply not cover investment costs.

Just before Christmas, investors behind the Gulf of Patras license were given an 18-month extension to begin drilling at this project, taking the date to June, 2021. Regional port facilities had been deemed insufficient by the consortium. All activity for this investment has also been suspended, sources informed.

Energean commences its drilling campaign in Israel

Energean Oil and Gas, the oil and gas producer focused on the Mediterranean, has commenced its 2019 drilling program in Israel, consisting of three development wells and Karish North, the company has announced.

As a result of this four-well campaign, Energean has a further six drilling options available in its contract with Stena Drilling Ltd.

Energean plans to batch drill the top-hole sections of the wells, which will allow significant operational efficiencies and cost savings, the company noted.

The drilling campaign is being undertaken using the Stena DrillMAX drillship, a sixth-generation drillship capable of drilling in water depths of up to 10,000 feet.

Energean is a London Premium Listed FTSE 250 and Tel Aviv Listed E&P company with operations offshore Israel, Greece and the Adriatic.

Energean has 349 mmboe of 2P reserves and 48 mmboe of 2C resources across its portfolio.

In August, 2017, the company received Israeli Governmental approval for the FDP for its Karish Tanin gas development project, where it intends to use an FPSO and produce first gas in 2021.

Energean has already signed contracts for 4.6 bcma of gas sales into the Israeli domestic market.

Future gas sales agreements will focus on both the growing Israeli domestic market and key export markets in the region, the company noted.

In Greece, Energean is pursuing an ongoing investment and development program to increase production from its Prinos and Prinos North oil fields and to develop the Epsilon oil field in the Gulf of Kavala, northern Greece.

Energean possesses five exploration licences offshore Israel, a 25-year exploitation licence for the Katakolo offshore block in western Greece, as well as additional exploration potential in its other licences in western Greece and Montenegro.

 

 

 

Katakolo 10m barrel estimate a major bonus for Energean

An Energean Oil & Gas hydrocarbon block in Katakolo, off western Peloponnese, has been certified to measure 10.7 million barrels by an independent agency, representing triple the amount of an initial estimate of 3 million barrels made by Greek authorities when staging an international tender for the block.

The development comes as a major bonus on the domestic front for Energean Oil & Gas, whose CEO Mathios Rigas has essentially based himself in London to organize financial matters concerning a 1.5 billion-euro investment by the company in Israel. As a result, Dimitris Gontikas, managing director of Energean Oil & Gas subsidiary Kavala Oil, is now managing Energean’s domestic matters.

Besides the Katakolo bonus, Energean’s domestic prospects include the Prinos block in south Kavala, certified by an independent agency to possess 40 million barrels, and, possibly, a further 20 billion barrels.

As for Energean’s interests in Israel, the company’s certified deposits amount to 2.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, the equivalent of 446 million barrels of crude. Energean holds a 50 percent stake in Energean Israel, which fully owns the Karish and Tanin fields.