Energy security strategy

19.11.2015

Question for written answer E-014889-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
Adina-Ioana Vălean (PPE)

On 30 August 2015 Eni, an Italian multinational oil and gas company, announced a gas discovery in its Zohr Prospect in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Egypt. The field is estimated to hold a potential 850 billion cubic metres of lean gas in place and is the largest gas find in the eastern Mediterranean to date.

Will the Commission support the build-up of an Eastern Mediterranean gas hub that would allow the EU to diversify its energy supply further, and, if so, by what means?

What is the Commission’s view on the impact that this discovery will have on regional pricing dynamics and on the interactions between companies active across the oil and gas value chain?

What impact will the Zhor discovery have on the EU’s upcoming LNG strategy and regulation on security of gas supply, and on the projections made for EU gas consumption?