The French group TotalEnergies announced on Tuesday in a statement that “TotalEnergies and its partner Eni signed a framework agreement with Israel to implement the maritime border agreement that was reached between Israel and Lebanon on October 27, 2022.”
It also indicated that in Lebanon, it is the operator of exploration Block 9 and holds a 60 percent interest alongside its partner ENI (40 percent).
“Following the signing of this framework agreement, both partners will begin in Block 9 the exploration operations of a previously identified area potentially containing gas that may extend both in Block 9 and Israeli waters south of the recently defined maritime border line,” TotalEnergies explained.
"The preparation for the exploration activities begins now with by mobilizing the teams, purchasing the required equipment and mobilizing the drilling ship," it added.
“TotalEnergies, as the operator of Block 9, is proud to be associated with the peaceful demarcation of the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon,” noted TotalEnergies Chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné.