Chevron Aphrodite
Development Plan & Egypt Exports

Aphrodite was Cyprus's first major gas discovery in 2011. Now operated by Chevron (after acquiring Noble Energy), the project cleared its biggest hurdles in 2025-2026: the development plan was approved in February 2025, partners approved FEED in December 2025, and a 15-year offtake term sheet with Egypt's EGAS was initialed in April 2026, with Cyprus's cabinet approving the basic sale terms in May. Final gas sales agreements and FID are still pending — Egypt is pushing for September 2026, while Energy Minister Michael Damianos targets December 2026 to January 2027 — with first gas around 2030-31.

~3.7
Tcf Resources (2C)
NSAI, Feb 2026
~$4B
Development CAPEX
Approved plan
2030-31
Target First Gas
Via Port Said
Block 12
Location
Cyprus EEZ

Updated August 2026 · Sources: NSAI, MECI, NewMed Energy

NSAI resource report (effective 28 Feb 2026): ~2.9 Tcf 2C for the sanctioned "development pending" phase plus ~0.8 Tcf "development unclarified" (~3.7 Tcf total), and 6.3 MMbbl of condensate.

Development Concept

Egypt Pipeline — Selected Route

Under the term sheet initialed in April 2026, Egypt (EGAS) is to buy the entire Aphrodite output — ~700 mmcf/d (about 7.2 bcm/yr), Brent-linked, over 15 years — delivered via a new ~$2B subsea pipeline to Port Said (construction from 2027), feeding the Egyptian grid and LNG plants with potential re-export to Europe. Four production wells will feed a floating production unit with ~800 mmcf/d nominal capacity.

Gas Flow
~700 mmcf/d contracted (~800 FPU capacity)
Pipeline
New subsea line to Port Said
Delivery
Egyptian grid + LNG plants

Why Egypt Pipeline?

  • • Lower CAPEX than a standalone LNG project
  • • Egypt is a growing gas importer with underutilized LNG capacity
  • • A single buyer for 100% of output simplifies commercialization
  • • Consistent with the wider Cyprus-Egypt export strategy (Cronos, Block 10)

Project Cost Breakdown

Component Description Est. Cost
Subsea Wells 4 initial production wells $1.0-1.5B
Subsea Infrastructure Manifolds, flowlines, umbilicals $0.5-0.8B
Export Pipeline New subsea line to Port Said, Egypt ~$2B (reported)
Floating Production Unit FPU in Cyprus EEZ (~800 MMcf/d nominal) $0.5-0.8B
Egypt Facilities Onshore reception feeding grid & LNG plants $0.3-0.5B
Total Estimated CAPEX (approved plan ~$4B; pipeline figures per press reports) ~$4B+

Updated August 2026 · Sources: Approved development plan, press reports

Commercial Agreements Status

Egypt Offtake Agreement

Term Sheet Initialed Apr 2026

A 15-year term sheet was initialed (not yet signed) with Egypt's EGAS in April 2026 for the entire Aphrodite output — ~700 mmcf/d (about 7.2 bcm/yr), Brent-linked — via a new subsea pipeline to Port Said, alongside a Host Government Agreement for the transmission project. The Cyprus cabinet approved the basic GSA terms on 19 May 2026; final gas sales agreements are pending.

FEED & FID

In Progress

Partners approved front-end engineering and design on 23 December 2025 (~$105.7M). FID has not been taken: Egypt is pushing for September 2026, while Cyprus Energy Minister Michael Damianos targets December 2026 to January 2027. Pipeline construction is planned from 2027.

Israel Unitization (Ishai)

In-Principle Deal Jan 2026

Aphrodite extends into Israel's Ishai licence. An in-principle deal was reached on 20 January 2026: the Israeli side receives one-time compensation and the field is developed by the Cyprus partners. The final agreement is pending.

Updated August 2026 · Sources: MECI, NewMed Energy, press reports

Aphrodite Timeline

2008 Noble Energy awarded Block 12 Noble
2011 Aphrodite discovery - first major Cyprus find Noble
2013 Aphrodite-2 appraisal well confirms discovery Noble
2015 Development concept studies begin Noble
2018 Egypt pipeline option selected as base case Noble
2020 Chevron acquires Noble Energy ($13B merger) Chevron
2021 MoU signed with Egypt on commercial terms Chevron
Feb 2025 Development & production plan approved, PSC amended (14 Feb) Chevron
Dec 2025 Partners approve FEED (~$105.7M) Chevron
Jan 2026 In-principle deal with Israel on Ishai unitization Chevron
Apr 2026 15-year term sheet initialed with EGAS for entire output; Host Government Agreement for pipeline Chevron
May 2026 Cyprus cabinet approves basic GSA terms; final GSAs pending Chevron
2026-27 FID targeted (late 2026-2027) Chevron
2030-31 First gas (target) Chevron

Block 12 Partners

CVX
Chevron
35%
Operator
BG
Shell (BG)
35%
Partner
NM
NewMed Energy
30%
Partner

Chevron inherited Noble's position in the 2020 merger. Shell (via BG Cyprus) and Israel's NewMed Energy (formerly Delek Drilling) bring regional expertise and complementary capabilities.

Outlook

Path to FID

Final Investment Decision (FID) is the key milestone, targeted for late 2026-2027. With the plan approved and the Egyptian offtake term sheet initialed, the remaining steps are:

✓
Egypt Offtake Term Sheet — Initialed (Apr 2026)
EGAS to take the entire output (~700 mmcf/d) over 15 years via pipeline to Port Said; basic GSA terms approved by Cyprus cabinet in May 2026
1
Complete FEED
Front-end engineering underway since partner approval in December 2025
2
Final Contracts & Agreements
Sign final gas sales agreements with EGAS and finalize the Ishai unitization deal with Israel
3
Partner Alignment & FID
Chevron, Shell and NewMed Energy approve the investment — Egypt pushes for September 2026, Cyprus targets December 2026-January 2027
Aphrodite Development Status

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