An East Med gas renaissance
After years of inertia, the prospects for the region's gas finally moving towards markets are improving
Sometimes even a seasoned oilman has to take a deep breath and adopt the tone and demeanour of a diplomat. This was the case recently with Luca Bertelli, head of exploration at Eni. Addressing Gulf Publishing's Eastern Mediterranean Gas Conference in Nicosia, Cyprus in March, he cautioned about over-optimism in forecasting when gas exports might begin. He said "the area is geopolitically complex". You can say that again. If Bertelli and Eni didn't know it before, they certainly knew it in February when their company found itself eyeball-to-eyeball with geopolitics. Eni's drillship was prevented by the Turkish navy from reaching the target site in Cyprus' offshore Block 3. Turkey argues that
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics
6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
6 March 2026
After Europe’s rapid buildout of floating LNG import capacity, Exmar CEO Carl-Antoine Saverys says future growth in floating gas infrastructure will increasingly be driven by developing markets as lower prices, rising energy demand and the need to replace coal unlock new opportunities for unconventional and tailor-made solutions
