Cyprus will host on the 14th of October the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) conference that will be attended by more than 100 delegates.

President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades will open the conference, that will take place with the participation of more than 100 delegates, while Cypriot Minister of Energy Natasa Pilides, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson and General Secretary of the EMGF Osama Mobarez will deliver speeches, followed by a Ministerial round table discussion. Members of the EMGF are Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, France, Italy, Jordan and Palestine, while observers are the EU, the World Bank and the US.

Ministers of Energy of Egypt, Jordan and Greece will be present at the conference, while the remaining members and observers will be represented with other officials.

The Cypriot Minister of Energy said at a press conference that together with Commissioner Simson and her Egyptian, Greek and Jordanian counterparts, as well as the Secretary General of the EMGF, they will consider the role of Eastern Mediterranean countries and the EU in promoting and strengthening the cooperation needed to achieve the ambitious goals of the green agreement, but also for the energy independence of the EU from Russian natural gas.

In particular, they will examine the progress of the work that the Cyprus Presidency has prioritised, including the initiative for the Decarbonisation of Natural Gas in the Eastern Mediterranean (East Mediterranean Natural Gas Decarbonisation Initiative), as well as the specialised study on the role that the Eastern Mediterranean can play in the EU's Energy Security.

Acting Director General of the Cyprus Hydrocarbons Company (CHC) Demetris Fessas said that during the first part of the closed session, the results of the methodology and action plan for "Decarbonization of Eastern Mediterranean Natural Gas" will be presented, by reducing emissions throughout the natural gas industry chain of EMGF member countries, in order to support the transition to low-carbon natural gas resources.

Fessas said that in the afternoon session they will present a road map that was prepared during the Cyprus Presidency of the EMGF due to the energy crisis, through which the Eastern Mediterranean could help the EU's energy security.

Meanwhile, asked about the deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean in Europe's efforts to become independent from Russian natural gas, Pilides said that the countries of the region can certainly help in the short and medium term, recalling that in the short-term stage some actions are planned on the basis of the memorandum signed between the EU and Egypt and Israel in relation to the supply of gas from the two countries to the EU.

However, she noted that because many of the available quantities in Egypt and Israel are reserved either for the domestic market of each country or for export with already agreed contracts, the short-term ability to support the effort is limited in relation to the quantities that can be secured for the medium term future.

She said that the aim is both the development of additional sources of energy in Egypt and Israel, where the drilling activity will proceed, as well as  the reserves of Cyprus, where there are significant quantities which could be channeled to the EU.

For this purpose, she continued, they will have a bilateral meeting with Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy, on Thursday, followed by a meeting with the President of the Republic to discuss this issue among others.

The Minister was asked about the next steps in the licensed blocks in the Cypriot EEZ, saying that Chevron is in constant contact with the Ministry and there are constant meetings between the technocratic groups of the Ministry, the CHC, and the consortium for the development of the "Aphrodite" gas field, while the discussion has started on the marketing aspect which, as she said, is quite important for the plan and for the transportation of natural gas to Egypt.

Regarding Exxon Mobil and Qatar Energy, she said that the seismic surveys related to data collection (blocks 10 and 5) have been completed, adding that the data needs to be processed.

She said that they await to see what the next steps will be in relation to block 10 based on the findings, as well as what the plan will be for block 5 which was recently licensed to the consortium.

For the ENI/TOTAL joint venture, the Minister stated that drilling is progressing in block 6 (Target Zeus 1).

She noted that there is still no indication as to the possible results, but said that this drilling is certainly very important for the development of our energy program because any additional quantities will contribute to the possibility of a faster development of block 6.

As far as the prospects for the implementation of the East Med pipeline, the Minister of Energy said that they await the studies to be submitted by the implementing body at the end of the year or at the beginning of next year, adding that the East Med implementation timeline is a longer term one.

She said  that Chevron is considering the possibility of transporting natural gas from "Aphrodite" to Egypt, which is the most prevalent, while for block 6  Egypt's scenario is a possible scenario as well as a floating liquefaction unit in the deposit itself.

"These options can certainly be implemented faster than the East Med pipeline," she explained, adding, however, that some synergy could exist in relation to the East Med pipeline and natural gas transport from Israel to Cyprus, a scenario for which Cyprus remains open and recalled a relevant proposal made by Energean.

"We remain open to the proposal that is expected to be submitted after the company secures the gas export permits it needs from Israel," she noted.

Asked about the negotiations for an Exclusive Economic Zone delimitation agreement between Israel and Lebanon, she said that the signing of this agreement would be a positive development because it would unlock even more potential in the Eastern Mediterranean and thus contribute to the EU's independence from Russian natural gas, but also to a faster development of the natural resources located in the Eastern Mediterranean.

"We look forward to seeing the results and remain hopeful that positive announcements will be made soon," she added