The coronavirus pandemic has rattled global oil markets in unprecedented ways. First, the failure of OPEC+ to agree on a collective response to the crisis early March drove a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Russia and threatens to flood the …
The impact of Covid-19 on the Lebanese oil and gas sector Read More »
PM designate Hassan Diab announced his cabinet lineup on January 21, 2020. To deal with the most severe financial and economic crisis in decades, Diab, and the political parties that have agreed to join this one-sided cabinet, picked a 20-member …
Lebanon: Raymond Ghajar, new Minister of Energy and Water Read More »
The first six months of 2019 saw an unusual series of meetings between Lebanese and Egyptian officials, with energy cooperation at the core of these discussions. If memory serves well, the frequency is unprecedented:
January 18, 2019: A meeting …
Gas sector as a catalyst for closer cooperation between Lebanon and Egypt Read More »
The cabinet approved the launching of Lebanon’s second offshore oil & gas licensing round in its latest session on April 4, 2019. Energy Minister Nada Boustani officially announced the launching of the tender in a press conference on April 5.…
Lebanon launches its second offshore oil & gas licensing round Read More »
Energy Ministers from Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority took an important step in Cairo toward establishing an Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) on January 14. According to the declaration that followed the meeting, the EMGF …
The Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum: A Lebanese perspective Read More »
The year 2018 saw the translation of companies’ interest in the Eastern Mediterranean – following the discovery of Zohr, in Egypt, in 2015 – into concrete projects, and the confirmation of the region’s potential with a new and promising discovery …
Oil & Gas in East Med: 2018 roundup and what to expect in 2019 Read More »
Since 2013, MESP is frequently solicited by the SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom at the Samir Kassir Foundation to monitor and evaluate Lebanese media’s coverage of the oil & gas sector and provide training sessions for journalists working …
Lebanese media coverage of the oil & gas sector – 2018 Read More »
The country’s finances were in disarray. The Finance Minister flew to Moscow in a last-ditch attempt to seal a deal that would secure Russia a stake in its offshore gas resources, in return for a financial support that would spare …
Lessons from Cyprus: Lebanon needs to manage oil & gas expectations Read More »
This article was written for the February 2018 edition of Executive Magazine.
At the end of January, Lebanon signed its first exploration & production agreements (EPA) with a consortium of companies composed of France’s Total (as operator), Italy’s Eni, …
Lebanon’s oil and gas sector: A roadmap for 2018 Read More »
This article was published in Executive Magazine.
Lebanon is finally stepping into the exploration phase. The Council of Ministers approved the awarding of exploration and productions licenses on December 14 to a consortium made up of France’s Total, Italy’s …
Lebanon’s oil & gas sector: what to expect in 2018? Read More »
The Lebanese Petroleum Administration received two bids in Lebanon’s oil & gas licensing round, Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil announced in a press release on October 13. Both bids were presented by the same consortium made up of Total, Eni …
Lebanon’s oil & gas licensing round attracts bids from Total-Eni-Novatek Read More »
This article was written for the October 2017 edition of Executive Magazine.
As Lebanon prepares to open bids submitted in its first offshore licensing round, all sides – government, citizens and companies – aspire to a good deal, giving …
Lebanon’s fiscal conundrum: what is a fair oil & gas share? Read More »
