Mr. Nikolaos Markou
Industrial Extension Officer,
Hydrocarbons Service,
Ministry of Energy, Commerce & Industry
T: +357 22 409391
E: [email protected]
Nikolaos Markou is a Petroleum Engineer, in the position of Industrial Extension Officer at the Hydrocarbons
Service of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry. He has been in the Ministry since 2009 and has a
total of 17 years of multi-discipline experience in the fields of hydrocarbon exploration, energy and
environment. He is currently a PhD candidate at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the
University of Cyprus and holds a BSc from the Kavala Institute of Technology, Greece and a PGDip from Heriot-
Watt University, UK. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and Member of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Expert Group on Resource Management (EGRM).
"Hydrocarbon exploration activities offshore Cyprus: Technical update"
Eastern Mediterranean is an emerging hydrocarbons province with significant gas discoveries in clastic and
carbonate reservoirs. Exploration activities in offshore Cyprus target to uncover new hydrocarbon resources in
Cyprus and establish a better understanding of geological knowledge and prospectivity of the region. Already,
eight exploration blocks are operated in Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) and a total of six wells drilled
by the operators since 2011. A number of bilateral agreements have been reached with neighbouring
countries on the delimitation of their Exclusive Economic Zones, and furthermore in cooperation and
infrastructure on energy. The Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry working close together with the
operators and other government authorities to perform the exploration activities efficiently within the Cyprus
EEZ, in view of safety and protection of the environment, in order to achieve the optimum and sustainable
development of hydrocarbon resources offshore Cyprus for the benefit of the Cypriot people and future
generations.