BEIRUT —
Lebanon on Tuesday asked French energy giant TotalEnergies to kickstart gas
exploration off its shores, after Israel said the two countries have reached a
US-mediated deal to settle their maritime border.
اضافة اعلان
Lebanon’s search
for gas riches in the hydrocarbon-rich eastern Mediterranean had stalled since
2020 over competing claims with Israel over offshore gas fields.
Following Israel’s
announcement on Tuesday, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, met
a visiting delegation from
TotalEnergies — which was awarded an exploration
license in 2018.
“During the
meeting, Mikati called on representatives of TotalEnergies to immediately begin
taking operational steps to drill in Lebanese waters,” his office said in a
statement.
Lebanon has yet to
officially agree to the deal, but Mikati said he hoped a “conclusion would be
reached soon” that could pave the way for “gas exploration in Lebanese waters”.
Lebanon’s energy
minister, Walid Fayad, who also attended the meeting, said that “logistical
matters take time, but work will start immediately”.
TotalEnergies is
part of a consortium of energy giants awarded a license to explore for gas in
two of Lebanon’s 10 blocks, numbers 4 and 9.
One well drilled in
Block 4 in 2020 by TotalEnergies, Eni, and Novatek showed only traces but no
commercially viable gas deposits.
Block 9, near the
border with Israel, contains the so-called Qana field or Sidon reservoir, and
will be a major zone for offshore exploration after a deal is finalized,
according to Lebanese officials.
Lebanon will “get
its full rights from the Qana field”, and Israel could receive compensation
through Total, said Elias Bou Saab, Lebanon’s lead negotiator in the maritime
border talks.
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