Within the next few weeks, the government of the Republic of Cyprus will announce the second licensing round for hydrocarbon exploration offshore Cyprus, Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis announced on Monday.
He was speaking after a meeting with the new board of the Scientific and Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK) where he informed them on matters of energy and natural gas.
Sylikiotis said ETEK asked him, in his capacity as member of the Ministerial Committee that will deal with Cyprus’ hydrocarbon issues, to overall briefing them on the energy developments, noting that most technocrats that are dealing with the issue are members of ETEK.
He said that a technical committee under the Ministry of Communications and Works has been appointed to decide on the site of the Energy Centre.
Asked where the issue of the second round of licensing stands, Sylikiotis said “we are in the process of planning and soon the second round of licensing will be announced”.
Sylikiotis said work is underway to prepare the proposals and documents while the experts’ group which will be advising the government on energy and natural gas issues, will soon be announced.
Turkey, whose troops occupy Cyprus’ northern part since they invaded in 1974, does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus. Following a decision by Nicosia to begin natural gas and oil exploration in its exclusive economic zone, Ankara has deployed warships in the Eastern Mediterranean and has signed an illegal agreement with the Turkish Cypriot regime in occupied Cyprus to delineate what it calls continental shelf.
Drilling has already begun by Houston-based “Noble Energy”, off Cyprus’ south-eastern coast.
Cyprus has signed an agreement to delineate the Exclusive Economic Zone with Egypt and Israel with a view to exploit any possible natural gas and oil reserves in its EEZ. A similar agreement has been signed with Lebanon but the Lebanese Parliament has not yet ratified it.