Lebanon asked on Tuesday the French group TotalEnergies to start “immediately” the exploration drilling in its waters, after the announcement by Israel of an agreement between the two countries on the delimitation of their maritime border.
The search for hydrocarbons in Lebanon has been stalled since 2020 due to the dispute with Israel over offshore deposits.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati “asked TotalEnergies representatives to immediately take operational measures for exploration drilling in Lebanese waters,” announced a statement from his office.
Mikati made his request during a meeting with a delegation from TotalEnergies, which received an operating license in 2018.
After intense negotiations under the aegis of the United States, Israel announced on Tuesday that it had reached a “historic” agreement with Lebanon to delimit their maritime border and remove key obstacles to the exploitation of gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean.
Lebanon, which is in the midst of an economic collapse, has said it is satisfied with the agreement, but has yet to officially announce its acceptance.
Mr. Mikati said he hoped for an early agreement, which would pave the way for “the exploration of gas fields in Lebanese waters”.
“Logistical issues require time, but work will begin immediately,” said Energy Minister Walid Fayad, who attended the meeting.
TotalEnergies is part of a consortium of energy giants that were awarded a license in 2018 to explore for gas in two of Lebanon’s 10 offshore blocks, known as Block 4 and Block 9.
A well drilled in Block 4 offshore central Lebanon in 2020 revealed only traces of gas but no commercially viable reservoir.
Block 9, near the border with Israel, contains the vast Qana field, where TotalEnergies will be in charge of drilling.
But since part of this deposit crosses the future demarcation line, the Hebrew State would receive a share of future revenues from TotalEnergies’ gas production in Qana, according to sources
Israeli.
The Lebanese negotiator and vice-president of the Parliament Elias Bou Saab assured, however, that there had been “an agreement between Total and the Israelis” under which the latter could “receive compensation” from the energy giant and not from Lebanon.
