TotalEnergies SE signed a framework agreement with the State of Israel for exploration of a prospect which might extend both into Block 9 and Israel waters south of the recently established Maritime Border Line.
A maritime boundary was reached between Israel and Lebanon on Oct. 27, 2022. Under the agreement, the border line will straddle the Qana prospect gas field. Exploration and production will be based on the Lebanese side, but Israel will be compensated for any gas extracted from its side, according to The National.
Preparation of exploration activities will start immediately with mobilization of teams, purchase of required equipment, and procurement of a drilling rig.
TotalEnergies is operator of Block 9 (60%) with partner ENI SPA (40%).
Alex Procyk is Upstream Editor at Oil & Gas Journal. He has also served as a principal technical professional at Halliburton and as a completion engineer at ConocoPhillips. He holds a BS in chemistry (1987) from Kent State University and a PhD in chemistry (1992) from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).
