Drilling rig arrives in Lebanon’s Block 9 to begin oil and gas exploration

Drilling rig arrives in Lebanon’s Block 9 to begin oil and gas exploration

A drilling rig arrived in Lebanon’s Block 9 on Wednesday to begin oil and gas exploration, Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamie, posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The start of drilling offshore Lebanon by a consortium led by France’s TotalEnergies follows a landmark US-brokered agreement last year that delineated the contentious maritime border between Lebanon and Israel to the south. The consortium includes Italian oil giant ENI and state-owned QatarEnergy.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Lebanon’s Energy Minister Walid Fayad said in May that he expected to know whether there would be a discovery there by the end of the year. ENI CEO Claudio Descalzi said in January that he was “positive” about a discovery there. Lebanon hopes gas and oil discoveries will help it reverse a crippling economic crisis that has cost the