The French company “Total Energies” said, on Monday, that it is still committed to gas exploration in Lebanon by the next year 2023, following Lebanon’s agreement with Israel to demarcate the maritime borders.
This came in a statement issued by the company following a visit by the Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water, Walid Fayyad, to the headquarters of the French company and his meeting with Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.
The statement quoted Boyani as saying, “The teams responsible for drilling operations in Block 9 are now being mobilized” in the Lebanese territorial waters on the border with Israel.
More than 10 people are involved in preparing the well; Prior to the exploration and production phase…”By the end of March, the mobilized team in Beirut will reach more than 20 employees,” according to the statement.
And the statement continued, “By the first quarter of 2023, the rig will be selected following launching a tender for that… Pre-orders have also been submitted with suppliers for the equipment required for the well.”
In parallel, marine resources are being mobilized to contribute to environmental studies that will be completed by the end of June 2023.
Last month, the French company “Total Energies” and its partner, the Italian “Eni”, signed a framework agreement with Israel to implement the maritime border agreement that was reached between the latter and Lebanon on October 27.
In Lebanon, Exploration Block 9 is operated by Total Energies, which owns 60% of the development shares, along with its Italian partner Eni, which owns 40%.
In October 2022, Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed the text of the agreement to demarcate the southern maritime borders, and it was later handed over by the delegations of the two countries and separately to the American mediator, Amos Hochstein, and a representative of the United Nations in the border town of Ras al-Naqoura.
Lebanon and Israel engaged in indirect negotiations that lasted for two years, mediated by the United States, over the demarcation of borders in an area rich in oil and natural gas in the Mediterranean, with an area of 860 square kilometers.