Lebanese officials inspect the drilling rig for oil and gas exploration in Block 9
Today, Tuesday, Lebanese officials inspected the drilling rig for oil and gas exploration in Block No. 9, in the Lebanese territorial waters, to keep pace with the start of logistical work there, after a helicopter belonging to the French company Total Energies took them to it.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Minister of Public Works and Transportation Ali Hamiyah, Minister of Energy and Water Walid Fayyad, Director General of the Presidency of the Republic Antoine Choucair, who is present in light of the vacancy in the first presidency, and the head of the Petroleum Administration Wissam Al Thahabi, and a delegation from the French company Total Energies.
In a statement, Total Energies and its partners, Eni and Qatar Energy, announced the launch of exploration activities in block No. 9 in Lebanon, noting that the necessary preparations for drilling the exploration well were presented today, which is scheduled to start in the coming days.
“After the peaceful demarcation of the maritime borders, Total Energies, together with its partners Eni and Qatar Energy, has committed to drilling an exploration well in Block No. 9 as soon as possible in 2023,” said the general manager of the French company in Lebanon, Romain de Lamartinière.
He added, “We are pleased to announce that drilling operations will begin within a few days, thanks to the commitment of the Total teams and the support of the Lebanese authorities and our two partners,” noting that “the exploration well will allow us to assess the hydrocarbon resources and production potential in this region.”
Welcome and expectations
According to the statement, the French company is the operator of Block No. 9 in Lebanese waters with a 35% stake, along with its two partners, the Italian Eni, 35%, and Qatar Energy, 30%.
Mikati said, “On this important occasion that Lebanon is witnessing, we look forward with hope that the coming days will bring signs of goodness that will help the country deal with the many crises it suffers from.”
He added, “What has been achieved so far is an achievement recorded for the homeland and the Lebanese people who are patient with their ordeals, and we hope that everyone will cooperate in the next stage to advance our country, and stop the deterioration that we are witnessing at all levels,” considering that it is “a day for the homeland and a bright page in history.”
For his part, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said: “In this darkness, a day of joy comes for which I worked for many years, until the framework agreement that I announced was from Ain al-Tin (the seat of the parliament’s presidency) in Beirut on October 1, 2020.”
Berri added, “I turn to God Almighty that not a few months pass without blessing Lebanon with an outpouring of His generosity, which constitutes the beginning of overcoming the economic crisis that Lebanon and its people are going through, as well as with the Lebanese agreeing to elect a president who will play his role as the beginning of a political solution that we are floundering with.”
On August 16, the oil and gas exploration vessel “Transocean Barents” arrived in Block No. 9, located about 120 km from Beirut in Lebanese waters, and a helicopter, operated by the “Golf Helicopters” company, landed simultaneously in Beirut Airport, designated to transport the work team to the drilling rig, after the French company contracted with it.
The Minister of Works, who is politically affiliated with Hezbollah, named the helicopter air navigation line between Beirut Airport and the drilling and excavation platform, the “Qana 96 line,” in memory of the “martyrs of the Qana massacre” in 1996, as a pivotal date for the rules of engagement with Iran. The Israeli enemy, which laid the foundations for victory in Lebanon, and laid the groundwork for its recovery, as he put it.
excavation path
This comes after Lebanon settled its maritime dispute with Israel about ten months ago, so that attention turns to the business results, which are expected to appear within two to three months, amid political optimism about the existence of an oil field, and popular fear of the political class wasting the country’s oil wealth.
In 2018, the Lebanese government signed contracts with the Italian company Total, Eni, and the Russian Novatek, to explore for oil in Blocks 4 and 9, before the latter withdrew due to US and European sanctions on the Russian energy sector, and joined the consortium. Qatar Energy on January 29, 2023.
As a result of the exploratory excavations of Al-Abaa, it was found that Block 4 is dry, and the work stopped, while drilling did not start in Block 9 as a result of the existing conflict, and there are two- and three-dimensional studies conducted more than ten years ago, showing the possibility of the presence of gas in Blocks No. 8 and 9. .
On October 27, 2022, Lebanon and Israel signed, with American mediation, the maritime border demarcation agreement, and the Lebanese side accepted Line 23 instead of Line 29 after long and difficult negotiations, noting that Line 29 allowed Lebanon to obtain a section of the Karish field that had previously been That Israel began experimental pumping of gas in it. According to the agreement, Lebanon’s acquisition of the Qana field does not guarantee it the ability to extract gas from it without any restrictions, given that the extraction is subject to the approval of Israel.
Lebanon has been suffering from a presidential vacancy since last October 31, with the termination of President Michel Aoun’s term, in light of the intense political struggle over the position of the first presidency, and the lack of consensus over a presidential candidate, at a time when Hezbollah and its political team are clinging to its candidate for the presidency, the president. Marada Movement” Suleiman Franjieh, while the opposition party refuses to support him, and he supported the candidacy of the former Minister of Finance, and the official in the International Monetary Fund, Jihad Azour, but he is open to other names, who are able to carry out the required political and economic reforms.
Next September, Lebanon is awaiting the return of the French presidential envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, for the third time to Beirut, without counting positively on its results in reaching an agreement to elect a president, especially with the continuation of the political dispute, and after the message that Le Drian sent to a group of Representatives and heads of parliamentary blocs included questions about the president’s specifications and priorities, which Lebanese parties considered affecting Lebanon’s sovereignty, violating the most basic diplomatic principles, and similar to an exam paper.
On the other hand, abroad, especially the International Monetary Fund and donors, are awaiting developments on the Lebanese scene, which the five-member committee, consisting of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, France, Egypt and the United States of America, has entered to help the political forces find a solution to the presidential file. , amid threats of sanctions that may affect those who obstruct the election of the president and the political process in Lebanon.
All monetary aid from abroad to Lebanon is still suspended, pending the resumption of the constitutional institutions currently lacking in powers, their work, the completion of political entitlements, and the start of the economic reforms workshop, which, despite the great collapse, the Lebanese authorities have not taken serious and integrated steps in their course since the start of the crisis in late 2018. 2019 and until today, as for some of the measures that fell within the conditions of the International Monetary Fund, and which were implemented in a “distorted” manner, they remained in the category of “patching” without a comprehensive plan, which ultimately led to an exacerbation of the crisis of the Lebanese, and affected their purchasing power.
2023-08-22 13:26:50
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