Cyprus to begin gas exports to Europe by March 2028 after Eni-TotalEnergies investment decision
The Cronos field south of Cyprus will supply European markets via a pipeline to Egypt and LNG shipments, marking the island’s entry into gas production.
A final investment decision by France’s TotalEnergies and Italy’s Eni has set Cyprus on course to deliver its first natural gas to Europe by March 2028. The Cronos offshore field, holding more than 3 trillion cubic feet of gas, will be developed at a cost of around $2 billion, with construction of a 105-kilometre subsea pipeline to Egypt’s existing Zohr infrastructure due to begin later this year and take up to 18 months.
Once connected, the gas will flow to the Damietta liquefaction plant on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, where it will be converted into LNG and shipped to European buyers. Up to 20 percent of production may be diverted to meet Egyptian domestic demand. Cyprus Energy Minister Michael Damianos told the Associated Press that the eastern Mediterranean is becoming an important alternative source for Europe, driven by the war in Ukraine and instability in the Middle East.
Damianos described Cronos as relatively modest in scale but symbolically significant because it launches Cyprus as a gas producer. The field is one of six discoveries in the country’s exclusive economic zone. Two larger deposits, Glaucus and Pegasus, hold a combined 6.9 trillion cubic feet and are being developed by ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy with production expected by 2033. A separate Aphrodite field, containing an estimated 5.6 trillion cubic feet, awaits a final investment decision from a Chevron-led consortium in the summer of 2027.
The immediate milestone to watch is the start of pipeline construction, which the Eni-TotalEnergies consortium plans to initiate this year. Completion of that link will determine whether the March 2028 target for first gas is met.
| Russian & CIS press | −0.50 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Arab Levant-Maghreb press | −0.30 | critical |
| Arab Gulf press | +0.20 | neutral |
| Atlantic / Anglosphere press | +0.30 | aligned |
Russia warns that abandoning Russian gas will hit the Greek economy and that costs will be unsustainable.
The use of concrete data (45% of imports) and the threat of price hikes make the warning credible.
Athens must know that renouncing Russian gas is a mistake that citizens will pay for.
Repeating the Russian warning as an authoritative admonition, amplifying fears about prices.
Cyprus gas offers Europe a concrete alternative, marking the end of the Russian monopoly.
Emphasizing the project's timeline and actors (Eni, Total) to show diversification is already underway.
Europe responds to Russian pressure with new energy routes: the eastern Mediterranean is the solution.
Presenting the project as a victory of European resilience, countering Russian blackmail.
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