Page 8 - MEOG Week 20

MEOG PIPeLInes & trAnsPort MEOG
Rival moves are afoot in the East Med and Black Sea
tUrkey
TURKEY is planning new drilling for oil and natural gas in disputed waters, in a major asser- tion of its claims over resources that could fuel tensions with its neighbours.
According to Turkey’s energy minister, drill- ing will take place in the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea from July, while seismic explora- tion will be stepped up within maritime borders set by an accord with Libya’s internationally rec- ognised government.
“Those who want to keep us away are left out of the game. They probably used this crisis as a pretext to withdraw,” Fatih Donmez told state-run Anadolu Agency on Thursday. he was referring to ExxonMobil’s decision to postpone exploratory drilling in part of Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) because of the coronavi- rus (COVID-19) pandemic and a slump in oil prices.
The eastern Mediterranean has become an energy hot spot with big finds for Cyprus, Israel and Egypt in recent years, and Turkey is now determined to secure a share of the critical assets.
having sent troops to northern Cyprus in response to a 1974 coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece, it vehemently opposes Cyp- riot drilling without an agreement on sharing any proceeds. And last month the Turkish mil- itary carried out naval and air exercises in the eastern Mediterranean.
The manoeuvres were seen as a sign of its readiness to defend its territorial claims, and as a show of support for its Libyan ally in Tripoli as it battles against rival forces based in the country’s east.
Libyan tensions
Turkey’s maritime agreement with the govern- ment of Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, meanwhile, has heightened territorial tensions with Greece, which regards the accord as a viola- tion of its territorial rights.
Turkish state-run oil company Turkish Petro- leum (TPAO) will start seismic studies after exploration licences are issued on the basis of the new maritime boundary with Libya, Donmez
said. Meanwhile, the Cypriot government has licensed several offshore exploration blocks, some of them located in disputed waters, includ- ing an agreement with Total and Eni for oil and natural gas exploration rights in an area where Turkey wants to drill.
It is not clear exactly where Turkey plans to operate from July.
The European Union is weighing whether to impose sanctions against Turkey over its explo- ration off Cyprus.
eastmed pipeline
A deal for an undersea pipeline to carry gas from new offshore deposits in the southeastern Mediterranean to continental Europe signed by Greece, Cyprus and Israel earlier in the year was ratified by a large majority in a parliamentary committee on last Monday.
Signed in Athens by the leaders of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel in January 2020, the EastMed pipeline accord passed the first stage ahead of ratification with the votes of ruling New Democ- racy, main opposition SYRIZA and Movement for Change (KINAL).
The Communist Party (KKE) and MeRA25 voted against, while Greek Solution said it would reserve judgment until the plenary vote on Thursday.
Following the vote, Energy and Environment Minister Kostis hatzidakis described the accord as “one of the most important international energy agreements, which will change the land- scape in relation to natural gas pipelines, not just for Greece but for Europe as well.”
The pipeline, he added, will also provide a “practical response” to Turkey’s revisionism and provocations in the East Mediterranean.
he also did not exclude the possibility that more countries, such as Egypt, could join the project. “The pipeline’s final route is open,” he said.
The 1,900-km pipeline is intended to pro- vide an alternative gas source for energy-hungry Europe, which is largely dependent on supplies from Russia and the Caucasus region.™
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w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m Week 20 20•May•2020