Troubled waters ahead in Israel-Lebanon border dispute
A maritime border dispute between Israel and Lebanon, and a plan by IOCs to start drilling close to the contested area, are contributing to regional tensions
When a Total-led consortium signed two exploration and production agreements in Beirut in February, the Lebanese government made no attempt to hide its delight. "Today, we announce that we have started our petroleum path," energy minister Cesar Abi Khalil said. After years of delay caused by internal political crises and sectarian squabbling, Lebanon had finally nailed down contracts that would lead to the start of drilling for oil and gas. The winning consortium consists of Total (with a 40% stake), Eni (40%) and Novatek (20%). The awarded blocks are 4 and 9. The group has committed itself to drill at least one well in each block in the first three years, starting probably in 2019. So far,
Also in this section
18 November 2024
The company is on track to boost import terminal capacity by 40% in three years, CEO Akshay Kumar Singh tells Petroleum Economist
15 November 2024
With Chevron and AIM-listed Challenger Energy having completed their Uruguayan farm-out deal, Challenger CEO Eytan Uliel updates Petroleum Economist on the firm's progress in the frontier basin
14 November 2024
The country is seeking to secure its position as a major global refiner and meet rising domestic requirements
13 November 2024
IOCs are focused on the next wave of exploration activity in Namibia and are keen to learn from one another’s results
