Cyprus-Forum.com

[Viewpoint]

A few Turkish fighter jets flying past will be enough to scare the shit out of any companies foolish enough to help the GCs.

[bill cobbett]

A few Turkish fighter jets flying past will be enough to scare the shit out of any companies foolish enough to help the GCs.

They'll certainly scare the shit out of the Turkish Navy.

[Me Ed]

A few Turkish fighter jets flying past will be enough to scare the shit out of any companies foolish enough to help the GCs.

We have natural resources now.

We'll sell you some fuel - good price!

[Oracle]

A few Turkish fighter jets flying past will be enough to scare the shit out of any companies foolish enough to help the GCs.

They'll certainly scare the shit out of the Turkish Navy.

[insan]

From Today's Turkish Zaman:

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-233146- ... talks.html

A senior US official has dismissed arguments by Ankara that the Greek Cypriot administration's plans to explore the Cypriot coast for oil and natural gas will be harmful to ongoing reunification talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders.

[...]

“It would be good for Cyprus. We are prepared to help, as you know, an American firm is involved in developing the energy resources of Cyprus,”

“If it benefits energy diversity in Europe and energy supplies in Cyprus that is a good thing ... I really don't see a linkage between those two issues,” the Reuters news agency quoted Gordon as saying on the same issue.

Done deal. The US has spoken. End of story.

Nice One Gordon..... Nice One Son...... Let's have another one!

Who the bleeding 'ell is Gordon?

FLASH! Don't u remember, Bill?

US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon had talks yesterday with Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu to appraise long-running reunification talks, just days ahead of key Geneva talks under UN mediation.

http://todayszaman.com/news-233086-us-o ... aders.html

Oh Thank You Insan... you're very kind .... How are your schemes for the Confederation of Turkic States going??? Have they got as much prospect for oil and gas as the Free Areas of the Republic?

We r working on it by of course keeping a low profile... u know it ain't an easy task... especially for Turkey... but it seems, after the next ww; the Turkic confederation will be established as a consequence of the ww... though we would wish it'd happen naturally and a ww never happens...

As for the prospects for oil and gas... please check the ranks of some Turkic states...

20 Kazakhstan 1,429,000 2008 est.
24 Azerbaijan 875,200 2008 est.
42 Turkmenistan 189,400 2008 est.
54 Uzbekistan 83,820 2008 est.
64 Turkey 46,120 2008 est.
106 Kyrgyzstan 958 2008 est.
115 Cyprus 0 2008 est.


...and in the near future...

The Republic of Bashkortostan, a sovereign republic within the
Russian Federation, was proclaimed on October 11,1990.

Location, History, Population, Political Status:

Bashkortostan is located along the South Urals and the adjacent plains,
within seventy kilometres of the Kazakstan border at its southernmost point.

The region was settled by nomads of the steppe, the Turkic Bashkirs,
during the thirteenth-century domination by the --> Golden Horde (Turkish: Altýn
Ordu).

About a hundred nationalities inhabit Bashkortostan: Bashkirs, Russians, Tatars,
Chuvashes, Maris, Ukrainians, Germans. The indigenous population is Bashkirs.
In 1989 the major ethnic groups were Russians (39 %), Tatars (28 %),
Bashkirs (22 %), Chuvash (3 %), and Mari (3 %).
The predominant religion of the Bashkir population is Islam, and Russian Orthodoxy.


Natural resources

The Republic of Bashkortostan is one of the richest territories of Russia in mineral resources with deposits of some 3,000 mineral resources. Bashkortostan is rich in crude oil reserves, and was one of the principal centers of oil extraction in the Soviet Union. Other major resources are natural gas, coal, ferrous metal ores, manganese, chromite, iron ores, non-ferrous metals ores (lead, tungsten), non-metallic ores (rock crystal, fluorite, iceland spar, sulfide pyrites, barite, silicates, silica, asbestos, talcum), deposits of precious and semi-precious stones and natural stones (malachite, jade, granite).

Bashkortostan processes more oil and than any other Russian region, about 26 million tons annually, and it provides 17% of Russia's gasoline and 15% of diesel.

http://alt.nntp2http.com/culture/turkis ... e4148.html


Russian Muslims Between Oil and Federalism

Posted by admin on 5/17/10 • Categorized as Featured Article

There are about 20 million indigenous Muslims living in the Russian Federation where the total population is over 140 million (about 15 percent of the total population). Unlike other Muslim minorities in Europe, Russian Muslims are not foreign immigrants. They are native citizens of the country in which they live in.Muslims are integral part of the Russian community For instance, during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Russian athletes won 23 gold medals, 10 of which were obtained by indigenous Muslim athletes.

The majority of Russian Muslims live in the Volga-Ural region and the Northern Caucasus. Other parts of Russia including megacities, such as Moscow or Saint-Petersburg, also have significant Muslim populations.The ethnically Muslims are predominant in seven republics of the Russian Federation which are the Republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan in the Volga-Urals region, and the Republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia in the Northern Caucasus.

According to Ariel Cohen, a research fellow at the Washington-based Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Heritage Foundation, the huge oil reserves are estimated to be over 25 billion barrels under the Caspian Sea.He estimated that oil reserves in the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are similar to those in Kuwait and larger than those in Alaska’s Northern Slope and the North Sea combined.Natural resource abundance, however, could not result in economic prosperity among Caucasian Muslim republics because of many reasons.

Future of Muslim Republics in Russia
The atmosphere of liberty which prevailed in 1990s in Muslim-populated areas of Russia has now abated. Today, streets of even small towns of Bashqortostan and its supreme council, which enthusiastically adopted the declaration of the sovereignty of the Bashkir Soviet Republic on Oct.11, 1990, are decorated with plentiful banners sympathetically demonstrating their dependence on Russia.

In 2007, the government celebrated 450 years of the “willful joining” of the Bashqort tribes to the Russian Empire.The opposition, which believes in the independence of Bashqortostan from Russian supremacy, does not have many chances to be heard by internal or international communities.

For instance, right after the Russian aggression against Georgia, Tatar’s independence party Ittifaq released an appeal to the international community, indicating why the oil-rich republic of Tatarstan must pursue independence from the Russian Federation.

http://www.perspectivebd.com/russian-mu ... ederalism/

Working for the black gas... is a dirty job... a very dirty job...

Enjoy your evening Bill...

[EricSeans]

From Today's Turkish Zaman:

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-233146- ... talks.html

A senior US official has dismissed arguments by Ankara that the Greek Cypriot administration's plans to explore the Cypriot coast for oil and natural gas will be harmful to ongoing reunification talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders.

[...]

“It would be good for Cyprus. We are prepared to help, as you know, an American firm is involved in developing the energy resources of Cyprus,”

“If it benefits energy diversity in Europe and energy supplies in Cyprus that is a good thing ... I really don't see a linkage between those two issues,” the Reuters news agency quoted Gordon as saying on the same issue.

Done deal. The US has spoken. End of story.

Nice One Gordon..... Nice One Son...... Let's have another one!

Who the bleeding 'ell is Gordon?

son of jewish immigrants. not that gordon's jewish origins will have had any bearing on this purely moral assessment of the situation.

He was Obama's senior foreign policy adviser during the 2008 campaign. Obama hand picked him for the current position so he speaks on behalf of the Obama administration. Him being of possible Jewish faith has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Interestingly, somewhere down the line his family adopted a fine Scots name. As did fellow Red Sea pedestrians and Yank thespian dynasty, the Douglases. And probably a few thousand others.

[Lit]

A few Turkish fighter jets flying past will be enough to scare the shit out of any companies foolish enough to help the GCs.

I don't know. The person implementing American foreign policy in Europe and Eurasia just stated that "We (The US) are prepared to help (Cyprus), as you know, an American firm is involved in developing the energy resources of Cyprus,”. You really think you will scare Americans with American made weapons? I'd like to see that happen.

[Lit]

From Today's Turkish Zaman:

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-233146- ... talks.html

A senior US official has dismissed arguments by Ankara that the Greek Cypriot administration's plans to explore the Cypriot coast for oil and natural gas will be harmful to ongoing reunification talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders.

[...]

“It would be good for Cyprus. We are prepared to help, as you know, an American firm is involved in developing the energy resources of Cyprus,”

“If it benefits energy diversity in Europe and energy supplies in Cyprus that is a good thing ... I really don't see a linkage between those two issues,” the Reuters news agency quoted Gordon as saying on the same issue.

Done deal. The US has spoken. End of story.

Nice One Gordon..... Nice One Son...... Let's have another one!

Who the bleeding 'ell is Gordon?

FLASH! Don't u remember, Bill?

US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon had talks yesterday with Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu to appraise long-running reunification talks, just days ahead of key Geneva talks under UN mediation.

http://todayszaman.com/news-233086-us-o ... aders.html

Oh Thank You Insan... you're very kind .... How are your schemes for the Confederation of Turkic States going??? Have they got as much prospect for oil and gas as the Free Areas of the Republic?

We r working on it by of course keeping a low profile... u know it ain't an easy task... especially for Turkey... but it seems, after the next ww; the Turkic confederation will be established as a consequence of the ww... though we would wish it'd happen naturally and a ww never happens...

How old are you? Stop dreaming of world wars...you sound insane. Now i know how you got your name.

[EricSeans]

A few Turkish fighter jets flying past will be enough to scare the shit out of any companies foolish enough to help the GCs.

They'll certainly scare the shit out of the Turkish Navy.

Excellent, Bill.

First I knew about that tale was when I met this Scottish IT guy and while talking about Cyprus it turned out he was the saviour of TR sailors from Kocatepe. Wrote his obit a few years later (and had it ripped off word for word by the Turkish Daily News). Interesting story, though.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl ... e-1.119353

[CBBB]

Israel’s Options for Monetizing its Vast Reserves of Offshore Natural Gas in the Mediterranean Predicament
By Nicholas Mitsos and Michael J. Economides
Posted on Jan. 21, 2011

The recent announcement by Houston-based Noble Energy and partners of a major natural gas find, the Leviathan field, in deep-water off Israel’s north coast suddenly elevates that country, entirely unexpectedly just a few years ago, into the group of major energy players. Israel’s US-method-reserves at Leviathan and at the nearby Tamar field are about 25 Tcf (trillion cubic feet). According to the US Geological Survey, the eastern Mediterranean is likely to hold 200 Tcf of recoverable gas. A reasonable estimate, based on proxy basin experiences, is that Israel’s offshore reserves will surpass 50 Tcf, comparable to the proven natural gas reserves of Libya and Egypt, and will rank Israel among the top 25 nations in reserves. Yet to be determined is how, and if, Israel will be able to monetize these vast reserves.

Israel’s natural gas resources greatly exceed the amount it can use domestically. Even if Israel converted all of its future electricity generation (70 billion kWh per year) to natural gas-fired systems, it would use less than 0.5 Tcf/year. If the country were to convert all its vehicles to use compressed natural gas or even to be electrified, it would still allow Israel to comfortably export 1 Tcf/year, most of which would likely go to Europe.

Western Europe currently imports 10 Tcf/year of natural gas, 85% of which is delivered by pipeline and 15% by LNG. It is forecasted that Western Europe’s demand for imported natural gas will grow by 50% over the next two decades. Israel’s 1Tcf/year of exports will easily be absorbed by Europe, and it will generate at least $6 billion per year of net income (at current market prices) for Israel and its E&P partners. Israel’s natural gas sales can satisfy 7% of its annual national budget.

The Problem with Pipelines

One option is for Israel to export natural gas via a new overland pipeline traversing Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and/or Iraq before passing through Turkey to access the European pipeline in Bulgaria and Greece. It is unlikely however that Israel will accept the political risk of transporting its natural gas through those Middle Eastern neighbors.

Another possibility being considered is an undersea pipeline. In August the Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, visited Athens and reportedly suggested building a pipeline between Israel’s offshore fields and the Greek mainland. Such a pipeline would be the most challenging project of its type ever attempted. It would be the world’s deepest undersea natural gas pipeline with long stretches at depths of 2,000 meters over rugged terrain and the Eastern Mediterranean Ridge. Covering 1,040 kms from Leviathan to the access point near Athens, the pipeline would match the length of the world’s longest undersea pipeline (or exceed it by 200 kms if the pipeline is routed to the access point in northern Greece).

If an undersea pipeline from Leviathan to the Greek mainland with capacity of 1 Tcf/year were to be built, its costs can be inferred from the trans-Mediterranean pipeline recently commissioned between Libya and Sicily (“GreenStream”), which also was a challenging engineering project. GreenStream is 520 kms long, has a maximum depth of 1,100 meters, a pipeline diameter of 32” and a capacity of 280 Bcf/year. It was built six years ago at a cost of $6.6 billion, or for $13 million/km.

A pair of 32” pipelines from Leviathan to the Greek mainland would be twice as deep, twice as long, transporting 2½ times the volume of gas as GreenStream. The construction costs are likely to be around $25 million/km (assuming that formidable engineering challenges can be overcome). Adding in the cost of tripling the capacity of the Greek pipeline system to handle 1 Tcf/year, the estimated capital cost for pipelines from Leviathan to the northern Greek border would exceed $30 billion. This capital cost leads to an ongoing cost of up to $5/MMBtu, absent large subsidies, to deliver 1 Tcf/year of Israeli gas from Leviathan to the European gas grid. At current market prices for Russian gas at the German border, a transport cost of $5/MMBtu plus at least $1.00/MMBtu in transit fees leaves a small amount of net income for the Israelis and their partners. A more cost-effective way for Israel to export natural gas to Europe is via ship.

Phase One: CNG

As a first phase of monetization for a volume of perhaps 200 Bcf/year of gas from Leviathan or Tamar, Israel should use CNG (compressed natural gas) ships. As soon as the fields are ready to produce natural gas for export, the first step is to situate above the fields a large deep-water FPSO to receive gas from the wellheads and to separate liquids. Large FPSOs can be configured to handle 500 MMscf/day. The gas then will be loaded on to one or more large CNG vessels per day that will shuttle between the FPSO and destinations in Cyprus and Greece.

Cyprus at only 150 kms away is an obvious candidate for CNG from the FPSO. Cyprus seeks to use natural gas instead of fuel oil and diesel to generate electricity, and its current needs are for 35 Bcf/year. CNG from Leviathan or Tamar will provide Cyprus with natural gas at the lowest costs, enabling Cyprus to reduce electricity generation costs by 50%. It will also enable Cyprus to avoid building a costly but now unnecessary LNG regasification terminal.

Another 35 Bcf/year of CNG can be distributed to off-grid Greek islands currently using fuel oil or diesel to generate electricity. The remaining 130 Bcf/year can be transferred to the Greek national pipeline system, which has total spare capacity of 140 to 180 Bcf/year that can be used to supply gas to the Balkans and the EU through south-to-north backhaul flows and through gas swaps.

By starting with CNG as Phase 1, Israel can begin monetizing its offshore natural gas within 24 months. Total capital costs for the CNG system will be approximately $2.5 billion, including the FPSO and a fleet of CNG ships transporting 500 MMscf/day to Cyprus, the Greek islands and the Greek mainland. All-in costs of shipping including capital costs will be around $3/MMBtu. At current market prices to European endusers of $9/MMBtu, Israel and its E&P partners will be able to generate more than $1 billion of net income per year from CNG, which probably will be the most profitable sales of Israeli natural gas.

Phase Two: LNG Processing in Cyprus

To export an additional 700 Bcf/year, Israel’s most viable option is LNG (liquefied natural gas). GTL (gas-to-liquid fuel using Fischer-Tropsch technologies) is a possibility, but LNG is the less risky method for monetizing such large amounts of gas. An LNG plant consisting of two 7 million MT/year trains will produce 700 Bcf/year of gas, at a capital cost of approximately $12 to $15 billion. Included in the project would be the construction of an undersea pipeline from Leviathan to the liquefaction plant.

Israel can build its liquefaction plant in Israel. But the better option is to construct the marine port and liquefaction plant in Cyprus, which is almost as close as the Israeli coast to the Leviathan field. An advantage of Cyprus is that it is a full member of the European Union benefitting from preferential terms for importing into other EU countries, and the political situation in the country supports large-scale, long-term investments. There also are possibilities for EU and Cypriot government grants for the project.

It will require five or more years for Israel and Cyprus to start LNG production. At current market prices, Israel and its E&P partners can expect $4 billion per year in net profits from LNG sales.

Geopolitical Implications

By starting with CNG, Israel can begin monetizing its offshore reserves within 24 months, generating more than $1 billion per year in net profits from the sale of 200 Bcf/year. The second phase of shipping 700 Bcf/year of LNG will generate an additional $4 billion or more in annual net profits.

The monetization of Israel’s offshore gas fields will have significant implications for Cyprus and Greece. Cyprus will cease using expensive and polluting fuel oil and diesel to generate electricity. Cyprus will avoid the huge cost for an LNG importation regasification plant that – now with the Israeli gas find – is superfluous, and instead Cyprus will earn profits as an exporter of LNG.

Greece will benefit by replacing oil-fired with lower cost gas-fired power plants on the islands, and it will generate perhaps $100 million per year in gas transit fees by using its national gas grid to transport gas to the Balkans and the EU. Furthermore, the prospect of closer energy-related commercial ties between Greece and Israel will draw support from the US, a development that may help Greece overcome its debilitating fiscal and economic crisis.

http://www.energytribune.com/articles.c ... redicament