Cyprus and Egypt struck an agreement with an energy consortium on Monday to export gas from the Mediterranean island’s offshore reserves to Europe following processing in North Africa.
Egypt, along with Italian energy giant Eni and France’s TotalEnergies, have agreed to “collaborate to commercialise the natural gas reserves discovered within” an offshore area known as Block 6, according to a Cypriot official statement released on Monday, February 17, 2025.
Cyprus has signed the first-of-its-kind pact.
According to an ENI release, the gas would be transported and processed in Egypt at “existing Zohr facilities, before being liquefied in the Damietta (liquified natural gas) LNG plant for export to European markets.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago, Europe has been looking for alternate natural gas sources.
Cyprus, which aspires to be a significant energy player in the region, has begun exploring natural gas resources on the eastern Mediterranean island.
The agreement was signed in Cairo by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides.
The two countries also reached an agreement on Cyprus’s Aphrodite gas field with Chevron Cyprus, NewMed Energy, and BG Cyprus.
The Cypriot government stated that the agreement “establishes the framework for the efficient commercialisation of the natural gas extracted from the field.”
