The offshore Aphrodite natural gas field being developed in Cypriot waters will be connected to an existing processing and production facility in Egypt via a subsea pipeline, one of the partners in the project said on Wednesday. NewMed Energy said it had submitted with partners Chevron and Shell a development plan for Cypriot government approval. The group met the Cypriot energy minister on Monday to discuss progress, Reuters said. "The updated plan is expected to accelerate and reduce the cost of development," NewMed said.