update re: potential partership with israel

Below are recent tender results for blocks off Cyprus.

I am not sure if the results are good or bad but are interesting nonetheless.

The good or bad thing is that no Israeli company won any of the 5 or so blocks being tendered, and neither did WPL, who also tendered with them.

Perhaps this makes Israel and & WPL keener to work together on Leviathan.

Comments from Woodside....

"Zar added, "I spoke with a Woodside executive before the news from Cyprus. He told me that Woodside was very interested in becoming a partner in Israel, irrespective of the results of the Cypriot tenders."

I would add that I think ps181 was right about Russia's influence...

The articles further goes on to state...

"The race for Leviathan is heating up. Gazprom's win in the tender for Block 9 could cause it to want greater regional cooperation between Israel, Cyprus, and Turkey. Woodside's loss could increase its wish to become a partner in Leviathan in order to benefit from natural gas in the Mediterranean's Levant Basin. Either way, we will probably see a handsome premium on Leviathan's current valuation."

Handsome premium. DAMN. That usually means paying too much to mere mortal shareholders such as myself.

Source: Globes