Cypriot energy minister Natasa Pilides
Exit options still cloud Cyprus gas optimism
Post-pandemic green shoots for the island nation’s fledgling upstream industry are blighted by the same old questions
The first drilling in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) since Covid-19 disrupted global upstream activities will kick off this week, energy minister Natasa Pilides told December’s World Petroleum Congress in Houston. The work involves an appraisal well at the 5-8tn ft³ Glaucus discovery in block 10. And, at the end of last week, Glaucus partners ExxonMobil and Mideast Gulf NOC QatarEnergy signed an exploration and production-sharing contract for block 5, southwest of the island. These are promising signs. But the perennial question mark over monetising Cyprus’ existing and potential future gas discoveries remains. Pilides was speaking on a panel specifically discussing cross-border coope
Also in this section
13 May 2025
A fall in Venezuelan output drives overall production lower, as Saudi Arabia starts to slowly bring more crude to the market
12 May 2025
With the gas industry’s staunchest advocates and opponents taking brutal blows, the sector looks like treading a path of insipid indifference
7 May 2025
From China blocking US LNG to Trump demanding that various countries import more of the fuel, the politicisation of LNG is on the rise
