The Aphrodite gas field is located 160km south of Limassol in the Mediterranean Sea. Credit: Ikonact.

The discovery well was drilled in 2011. Credit: Robert Galloway.

Phase one of the Aphrodite gas field development will have a maximum production capacity of 800 million cubic feet per day (Mcfd). Credit: Lindsey G.

Aphrodite gas field lies approximately 160km south of Limassol off the shore of the Republic of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea.

The gas field is located 30km north-west of the Leviathan gas field in Block 12 of the Cypriot exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in roughly 1,700m of water.

The owners of Block 12 are Noble Energy International (35%), BG Cyprus (35%), Delek Drilling Limited Partnership (15%) and Avner Oil Exploration Limited Partnership (15%).

Aphrodite gas field is jointly owned by Delek Drilling (30%), Noble Energy (35%) and Shell (35%).

A viable export option is currently being evaluated for the field due to the limited size of the domestic market.

First gas from the field is expected after 2023 following the identification of a suitable export option.

The Cypriot Government has signed an energy co-operation agreement with the Egyptian Government to examine the option of exporting gas from Aphrodite field to Egypt.

A technical study was conducted by the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company and the Cyprus Hydrocarbons Company in 2015 to design a possible gas connecting route from the Aphrodite gas field to Egypt.

The development of the Aphrodite gas field is expected to enable Cyprus achieve energy independence and help the country minimise air pollution, while strengthening businesses, employment opportunities and the overall economy of the country.

Aphrodite gas field discovery, geology and reserves

The Aphrodite field covers an area of 120km² and was the first gas discovery to be made in the Cypriot EEZ.

The Cyprus A-1 discovery well discovered gas in high-quality Miocene sand intervals.

Drilling works for the well began in September 2011 and took 116 days to complete.

The discovery well was drilled to a total depth of 19,225ft in a water depth of 5,860m using the Homer Ferrington rig.

The well tests resulted in the estimation of a gross resource range of five to eight trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas with a gross mean value of 7tcf.

Aphrodite’s reservoir has a maximum thickness of 320m and is estimated to hold roughly 129 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas.

Aphrodite gas field appraisal

Aphrodite’s Cyprus A-2 appraisal well was drilled in 2013. It is situated 6.4km to the north-east of the Cyprus A-1 discovery well at a total depth of 18,865ft in 5,575ft of water.

The well tests resulted in an estimate of the gross resources of the field between the range of 3.6tcf and 6tcf with a gross mean value of 5tcf.

The Cyprus A-2 appraisal well was drilled using the Ensco 5006 drilling rig.

Aphrodite gas field development details

The field development plan for the Aphrodite gas field has not been finalised, however the proposed plan comprises two phases.

The first phase includes the drilling of up to five production wells in water depths of 1,700m.

These wells will be drilled at different depths within the reservoir layers with the maximum drilling depth being 5,000m.

A well head located on the seabed, approximately 3,000m above the reservoir, and a subsea pipeline will connect the production wells to a floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO).

The maximum production capacity in the first phase is expected to be around 800 million cubic feet per day (Mcfd).

Gas processing and export from Aphrodite

Processed gas from the FPSO will be transported through pipelines to a proposed onshore natural gas liquefaction plant.

The proposed onshore plant will include three LNG production units with a capacity of five million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) each.

It will also include a power plant, supporting and auxiliary services, an operation and control centre, as well as two LNG storage containers with a capacity of 180,000m³ each.

The facility is also set to feature jetties for LNG carriers, in addition to loading and unloading equipment.

Contractors involved

Noble Corporation provided the Homer Ferrington drilling rig to drill the Cyprus A-1 discovery well, while Ensco PLC provided the Ensco 5006 drilling rig for the drilling of the Cyprus A-2 appraisal well.