“Geopolitical uncertainty is in the bill. We need to be able to work even with geopolitical uncertainty: in Libya we thought differently from others about working in the gas sector and investing in gas for Libya. Now we give more than 4 billion cubic meters of gas a year for Libyan electricity production, this has given us an important plus. We have been in Egypt since 1955, we have invested, we have found a lot of gas, we are confirming the dates of the first production for the end of 2017 and this project is gaining more and more value, more body and more strength". She said it the managing director of Eni, Claudio Descalzi, in an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore after the market on the New York Stock Exchange, where he was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the placement of Eni's shares on the New York Stock Exchange: "For us, the American market is very important, I think it represents about 40% of the capital and is growing”.
Descalzi therefore believes that there is a positive moment in Libya: "There is a government that is doing things that were not done before, the country has found a government, albeit a young one, which can be the answer to international terrorism and all 'Isis”, said the number one of the six-legged dog, avoiding taking a stand on the sanctions against Russia but admitting the geopolitical risks: “Geopolitical uncertainty is part of our job, wherever we are there are also our competitors. We are not alone, apart from Libya where I hope others, including the French, will return".
Within a couple of months, Eni could then close the negotiations for the sale of a pack of Versalis and by the end of the year it is hoped to close the operation for the partial sale of the gas fields in Mozambique, while for the sale of the new fields discovered in Egypt the horizon could be up to a couple of years. “There are negotiations and we are discussing – said De Scalzi – I hope that something will be done for Mozambique by the end of the year. This is because in our strategic vision in the exploration sector we enter with large stakes which are then reduced to contain exposure, reduce investments and advance cash. This is part of our strategy. Investors expect it, and we try not to disappoint them. The two important disposals, one in Mozambique the other in Egypt, there will be. Having said that, we have this time to be able to do them because we have announced a period of two years. After all, when you sell and when you divest, you have to do it calmly because you don't have to throw away opportunities and money and take the wrong steps".
Descalzi also spoke on Brexit, given that he is among the 51 signatories of the letter from the managers of the European Round Table of Industrialists, in favor of the No to the referendum (i.e. in favor of the permanence of the United Kingdom in the EU): "The European Union is stronger together, especially from an energy point of view. We need a united EU”.
