The TransOcean Barents drilling rig. (Credit: TotalEnergies)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Ministry of Energy sent a letter to TotalEnergies on Wednesday demanding that the French petroleum company hand over a report on the results of gas drilling in Block 9 before mid-April, a source in the ministry told L'Orient Today.
Exploratory drilling for offshore gas at Block 9 of Lebanon's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), off the Lebanese coast near Sour in southern Lebanon, started in August 2023. Chartered by TotalEnergies on behalf of the consortium it formed with Italy's ENI and QatarEnergy, the TransOcean Barents platform has been drilling an exploration well in Block 9.
The information included in the letter indicated that the six-month deadline for issuing the report had expired, although the company had repeatedly promised to deliver the report to the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA) for discussion.
According to LBCI, a delegation from the LPA was supposed to go to Paris on Mar. 26, but TotalEnergies postponed the visit.