In 2011, the American energy company Noble discovered some 200 billion cubic meters of gas in the Eastern Mediterranean – the value of this block, known as the Aphrodite gas field, has been estimated at some €80 billion. Work has already begun on extraction, with production expected to commence in 2018.
2011年，美国诺布尔能源公司在东地中海发现约2，000亿立方米天然气——阿佛洛狄忒气田的区块价值估计约合800亿欧元。天然气开采工作已经开始，预计将于2018年正式投产。专家认为上述储备能够为塞浦路斯提供百年能源，同时也为急需能源的欧洲提供替代供应产地。其实在确定可行的紧急援助计划时，上述资产的未来收入曾一度被视为潜在的抵押品。