Exploration/discoveries

Eni, TotalEnergies Begin Drilling Off Cyprus

The Cronos-1 well gets underway after 2-plus years of pandemic-related delays.

Tungsten Explorer drillship.
Tungsten Explorer drillship.

Partners Eni and TotalEnergies have begun drilling a natural gas wildcat dubbed Cronos-1 in Block 6 offshore Cyprus. The well, originally planned for 2020, was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vantage Drilling drillship Tungsten Explorer is on location and is conducting the drilling operations.

In 2018, the partnership struck gas at the Calypso well in another part of Block 6. That well proved that the carbonate play present in Eni’s Zoar field off Egypt extended to the Cypress exclusive economic zone. Zoar was discovered in 2015 and is the biggest gas discovery to date in the Mediterranean Sea.

Calypso-1 was drilled to a total depth of 3827 m and encountered an extended gas column in Miocene- and Cretaceous-aged sands.

Eni operates Block 6 with a 50% participation interest. TotalEnergies holds the remaining 50% stake.