East Med rides the waves
Egypt, Israel and Cyprus all saw progress in their ambitions to develop the prodigious East Med basin in 2018
The one-time backwater that was the East Med continued its transformation into one of the world's most prospective natural gas areas in 2018, with Egypt pushing the envelope through major projects and Israel also looking to get in on the act with a bold plan to send gas to its neighbour—and one-time supplier—Egypt. Italy's Eni, which discovered the giant Zohr field, which contains some 30 tr cf of gas, was reported earlier in the year to be preparing to carry out exploratory drilling at the Noor field, off Sinai, amid speculation that another Zohr-size discovery was in the offing. Interest in Egypt piqued as a result of the increasingly attractive terms on offer to international firms. This
Also in this section
11 August 2025
The administration is pushing for deregulation and streamline 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
