South of Cyprus, another large gas field has been discovered. This was reported by the Cypriot government. The Italian-French consortium Eni-Total discovered the new gas supply. It is expected to supply up to 85 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
The gas bubble is located under the seabed about 160 kilometres southwest of the island. In August, the Italian oil and gas company Eni had also already reported a new gas field in that area in question with an estimated reserve of around 70 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Also in 2018 there was a find.
Energy experts in the Cypriot capital Nicosia say the new gas field is an important step towards making Europe independent of Russian natural gas.
Russia also inaugurated a new gas field in Kovykta, eastern Siberia, on Wednesday. The inauguration was done by president Vladimir Putin via a video link. The field will supply natural gas to China, as supplies to the West are boycotted because of the war in Ukraine.
According to Putin, the exploitation of the gas field “heralds a real development dynamics, with the creation of a powerful and strategic industrial complex in the east of Russia.”
The gas field, located near Lake Baikal, is operated by the state corporation Gazprom. The natural gas will be transported to China via the ‘Power of Siberia 1’pipeline. Currently, 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year run through that pipeline, in the future it is hoped to export 38 billion cubic meters.
China is a major consumer of natural gas and in recent months Russia has increased exports to that country. Because of the Western sanctions, Russia has turned its gaze even more to the East. From 2024, a second pipeline ‘Power of Siberia 2′ will be built, which runs via Mongolia to China.