Eni SPA and South Korea’s Kogas have signed exploration and production sharing contracts with the Cyprus Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism covering Blocks 2, 3, and 9 in the Levant basin offshore Cyprus.

The eastern Mediterranean deepwater blocks lie generally south and southeast of the island of Cyprus. Block 9 extends within a few miles of a Noble Energy Inc. group’s late 2011 Aphrodite gas discovery at the eastern edge of Cyprus Block 12, where Blocks 9 and 12 meet Israeli waters (OGJ Online, Jan. 2, 2012). Blocks 2 and 3 are northeast of Block 9.

The three Eni-Kogas blocks cover a combined 12,530 sq km. Interests are Eni 80% and operator and Kogas 20%. The two companies were awarded the blocks in the May 2012 Cyprus second offshore license round.