• Natural Gas News

    Eni Confirms Calypso Find (Update from Minister)

Summary

Eni has announced the Calypso gas discovery which it says confirms, offshore Cyprus, the extension of the "Zohr-like" play.

by: Mark Smedley

Posted in:

Natural Gas & LNG News, Europe, Middle East, Political, Ministries, East Med Focus, News By Country, Cyprus, Egypt, Italy

Eni Confirms Calypso Find (Update from Minister)

adds minister's comment (in italics) in penultimate paragraph

Eni has announced a discovery that it says confirms the extension of the "Zohr-like" gas play in the Cyprus exclusive economic zone (EEZ) -- a reference to the supergiant Zohr field that Eni operates offshore Egypt.

It said February 8 it had made the lean gas discovery in Block 6 Offshore Cyprus with its Calypso 1 NFW well. It was drilled in 2,074 meters of water depth, reaching a final total depth of 3,827 meters, and encountered "an extended  gas column in rocks of Miocene and Cretaceous age". Eni added that the Cretaceous sequence has excellent reservoir characteristics.

The Italian major added that an intensive and detailed data collection (fluids and rock samples) has been executed on the well, noting that Calypso 1 is "a promising gas discovery" that confirms the extension of the Zohr-like play into Cyprus's EEZ.

Eni is operator of Block 6 with 50% of participation interest, while Total is partner with the remaining 50%. Additional studies will be carried out to assess the range of the gas volumes in place and define further exploration and appraisal operations, said Eni.

Cyprus energy minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis had said February 2 there were very encouraging indications for Calypso where he said Eni had discovered a gas field; the minister commented after having briefed President Nicos Anastasiades about the find, reported Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that day. Eni has been present in Cyprus for five years and holds interests in six licences in Cyprus's EEZ (blocks 2, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 11), five of which are operated.

Quoted by CNA, Lakkotrypis said February 8 the Calypso find was a "very positive development", added that the SAIPEM 12000 drillship would depart February 8 or 9 for the 'Soupia' prospect on Eni-operated block 3, and that later in the year Exxon would drill the 'Delphinos' prospect on its block 10 in 2H2018.

Zohr is the largest gas discovery ever made in Egypt and in the Mediterranean Sea, with a potential of up to 30 trillion ft3 (850bn m3) of gas in place, and will be able to satisfy a part of Egypt’s natural gas demand for decades to come. Eni operates the field, partnered by Rosneft and BP, and began producing from it in December 2017;  Zohr production (at 100% equity) is expected to reach 1bn ft³/d (10.3bn m3/yr) this June and rise to 2.7bn ft³/d in late 2019.