RIYADH: French energy giant TotalEnergies has confirmed that it has mobilized a team to begin drilling operations for its new offshore gas project in Lebanon. TotalEnergies chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné, who met with Lebanon’s Minister of Energy Walid Fayed, confirmed that the operations will be launched in Block 9 in 2023, according to a press release. Block 9 comes under Lebanon’s territorial waters after it reached a maritime border agreement with Israel. TotalEnergies has now called for tenders for a new drilling rig and has also made pre-orders for the required equipment for the exploration. The press release further noted that the environmental impact studies for the Block 9 offshore gas project will be finalized by the end of June 2023. “To date, in addition to the operations manager, more than 10 people are involved in the preparation of the well. By the end of March, the team mobilized in Beirut will reach more than 20 employees,” said TotalEnergies in the press release. Total Energies owns 60 percent of the Block 9 project, while Italian energy firm Eni has the remaining 40 percent stake. Meanwhile, in another major development, TotalEnergies signed a memorandum of understanding with the French air carrier Air France-KLM for the delivery of 800,000 tons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel over the 10-year period from 2023. According to a press release, the MoU was signed earlier in December, and under the deal, the SAF will be made available to Air France-KLM Group’s airlines departing from France and Netherlands. It further noted that the SAF will be produced at the biorefineries of TotalEnergies, and it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 80 percent on average over the entire lifecycle, compared with their fossil equivalent. “This new partnership with Air France-KLM exemplifies the excellence of industry and French aerospace in committing to a more sustainable aviation sector,” said Pouyanné. He added: “By directly reducing the carbon intensity of the energy products used by our air transport customers, we are actively working with them to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, together with society.”