An East Med gas renaissance
After years of inertia, the prospects for the region's gas finally moving towards markets are improving
Sometimes even a seasoned oilman has to take a deep breath and adopt the tone and demeanour of a diplomat. This was the case recently with Luca Bertelli, head of exploration at Eni. Addressing Gulf Publishing's Eastern Mediterranean Gas Conference in Nicosia, Cyprus in March, he cautioned about over-optimism in forecasting when gas exports might begin. He said "the area is geopolitically complex". You can say that again. If Bertelli and Eni didn't know it before, they certainly knew it in February when their company found itself eyeball-to-eyeball with geopolitics. Eni's drillship was prevented by the Turkish navy from reaching the target site in Cyprus' offshore Block 3. Turkey argues that
Also in this section
11 August 2025
The administration is pushing for deregulation and streamlined permitting for natural gas, while tightening requirements and stripping away subsidies from renewables
8 August 2025
The producers’ group missed its output increase target for the month and may soon face a critical test of its strategy
7 August 2025
The quick, unified and decisive strategy to return all the barrels from the hefty tranche of cuts from the eight producers involved in voluntary curbs signals a shift and sets the tone for the path ahead
7 August 2025
Without US backing, the EU’s newest sanctions package against Russia—though not painless—is unlikely to have a significant impact on the country’s oil and gas revenues or its broader economy
