U.S. oil major ExxonMobil, Energean and Helleniq Energy will sign a contract on April 14 with Stena Drilling to start exploratory drilling in a western Greek offshore block, Greece's energy ministry said.
ExxonMobil, Energean and Greece's biggest oil refiner Helleniq announced an agreement last year to explore for natural gas in Block 2 in the Ionian Sea.
The consortium will proceed with exploratory drilling in February 2027, a Greek energy ministry official said on condition of anonymity, the country's first offshore exploration drilling in 40 years.
Stena will use a high-performance vessel able to operate in deep-sea waters and drill at a depth of up to 35,000 feet to look for deposits once considered hard to access, the official said.
