ExxonMobil, QatarEnergy spud new well off Cyprus

NICOSIA, January 24, 2025 – ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy have begun drilling at a “highly promising” exploration prospect off Cyprus, the country’s president said on Thursday.
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to celebrate the launch of drilling at the Electra prospect at offshore Block 5.
ExxonMobil vice-president for global exploration John Ardill was cited by Reuters in November as saying the company planned to begin drilling at what it deemed a “highly promising” prospect off the Mediterranean island nation.
ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy won multiple Cyprus licences in 2017 and in 2019 saw drilling success at the Glaucus-1 well in offshore Block 10, which confirmed the presence of a multi-tcf gasfield.
“Cyprus progresses exploration activities, aiming to be an alternative and reliable source of natural gas for the EU,” President Christodoulides said on X.
Photo of the drillship Stena Forth, used to drill the Glaucus-1 well, courtesy of Stena Drilling























