While you were focused on Soleimani, Israel became a natural gas superpower
“During the last week, earth-shattering events occurred that completely disrupted the Middle East …. In other news the Americans assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.”
In March 2013, I noted that Israel’s discovery and development of huge offshore natural gas fields was a game-changer, putting Israel on course to become an energy superpower.
At that time, the field that had just come on line was the Tamar field. I wrote, Yesterday the Middle East changed forever, and you didn’t know it:
Hezbollah has threatened to attack Israeli gas platforms, leading Israel to install a sea-based version of Iron Dome, as we reported in 2016, Israel Introduces Sea-Based Iron Dome:Israel now is pumping natural gas from one of the enormous offshore fields which will transform Israel into an energy-independent nation and a global energy powerhouse:
Natural gas from the offshore Tamar field was pumped to Israeli shores for the first time Saturday, four years after its discovery, in preparation for its first use in the Israeli energy market — a move that could transform the Israeli economy.
The Tamar deposit, discovered in 2009 some 90 kilometers west of Haifa, holds an estimated 8.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
On Saturday, hailed an “important day for the Israeli economy” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, natural gas from the field was being pumped to a newly erected facility on the coast of Ashdod, connected to the gas field via pipelines laid out on the ocean floor, 150 kilometers long and 16 inches wide….Israel’s new offshore fields are enormous, which is part of the reason Turkey has been so belligerent..
Combined with Israel’s under-appreciated status as a Demographic Superpower, Israel’s long-term status is fine. It just has go get past Syrian WMD and Iranian nukes.
Introducing C-Dome missile defense system. Why does it look familiar? pic.twitter.com/KQjcWlqpjr
— LTC (R) Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) May 18, 2016
The Tamar field was small change compared to the much larger Leviathan field, as I described in 2015, Israel one step closer to being energy Superpower.
Somehow, The NY Times turned all this into a bad thing, Israel’s Energy Dilemma: More Natural Gas Than It Can Use or Export:
For decades, Israel was an energy-starved country surrounded by hostile, oil-rich neighbors.
Now it has a different problem. Thanks to major offshore discoveries over the last decade, it has more natural gas than it can use or readily export.
The Leviathan development was delayed by bureaucratic snafus and environmental opposition, but just came on line. And this is a big deal.
The Times of Israel reported on December 31, 2019, that natural gas began flowing:
Gas began flowing from the mammoth Leviathan offshore natural gas field on Tuesday, after the government gave a final go-ahead to Noble Energy to forge ahead with the project despite vocal protests from residents of the coastal region who are concerned about the pollution emitted by the rigs.
The Environmental Protection Ministry said Monday that Noble Energy and its partners had met all the necessary conditions to begin pumping gas, paving the way for the rigs to begin extracting the estimated 22 trillion cubic feet of gas trapped underground.
Early Tuesday morning Noble began a gas rig test that is necessary ahead of starting operations, and later that morning the partners in Leviathan announced the start of natural gas production from the reservoir, the largest energy project in Israel’s history.
The first gas will reach Israel’s shores via the pipes within 24 to 48 hours from the start of production, the companies estimated.
But wait, there’s more. Israel also signed a huge natural gas deal with Greece and Cyprus to ship natural gas to Europe, and commenced gas deliveries to Jordan and Egypt
David Markind called it, The other event that rocked the Middle East:
During the last week, earth-shattering events occurred that completely disrupted the Middle East, caused intense anger in certain Arab and Muslim capitals, and threatened war in the region. In other news the Americans assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
The non-Soleimani news that rocked the Middle East involved natural gas. On January 2, Greece, Israel and Cyprus signed an agreement to build a pipeline to transport natural gas 1,300 miles from Israel’s Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean first to Greece, then to Italy, and from Italy into the heart of Europe. Scheduled for completion in 2025, the “EastMed pipeline” ultimately might provide 4% of Europe’s natural gas imports. It also would compete with two pipelines being built by Russia, the NordStream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea to Germany, and the TurkStream project from Russia to Turkey.
Turkey has reacted furiously to the EastMed project. The Turks have threatened that they will block any exploration of that part of the Mediterranean that does not include Turkey….
Meanwhile, the first shipment of Israeli gas from the Leviathan field was delivered to Jordan on New Year’s Day, much to the chagrin of many Jordanians. Jordan has been receiving Israeli gas from the smaller Tamar field since 2017, but the Leviathan gas increases Israeli exports to Jordan dramatically. Jordan’s main political opposition, The Islamic Action Front, called the delivery of Leviathan gas a “black day in the history of Jordan, and a crime against the nation.” …
Jordan wasn’t the only country to receive Israeli natural gas on New Year’s Day. Egypt did as well. Israel and its US partner Noble Energy reached a $15 billion agreement in 2019 to supply 64 billion cubic meters of gas to Egypt.
The pipeline to Europe will take time, and the madman of Turkey is trying to scuttle it, but what already has come on line makes Israel energy independent, with large supply contracts to two of its neighbors, Egypt and Jordan.
So while you were focused on Soleimani, Israel became an energy superpower.
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Comments
“The Leviathan development was delayed by bureaucratic snafus and environmental opposition…”
Am I correct in recalling that Israel’s Muslim neighbors attempted to block this, claiming that Israel had no legitimate rights to any maritime economic zone? (I’m not saying that they had a legal leg to stand on, just that they made an attempt.)
I don’t have a source, but I remember that as well.
Boom.
Big Gas!
How do I get on the board of directors?
You have to be a politician’s kid.
…and you have to be a DEM…..
I’ve been wondering about this one so thanks for the update, Professor.
I don’t see where Turkey has a leg to stand on — the territorial and extended economic zones of every country in the region is well demarcated, with the single exception of where the line rests between Israel and Lebanon. Not sure what the Turkish argument is because this particular part of the Med doesn’t belong to them in any way.
Perhaps Yippie should be pushing for Turkish oil exploration in his own zone of the Med?
Now let’s see how much more oil and NG can be found in the Israeli zone.
CYPRUS IS THE HOOK Turkey is fishing with. I’ve read articles where Erdogan has threatened to take over all of Cyprus, instead of just the eastern part. He also has his eye on Syria and Lebanon. As a Caliph, he’ll need big $$$ to arm his fighting force and increase his nuclear stockpile. Also, I think he has a taste for Jewish blood…as do most muslim fanatics. There is also the issue of his good friend, Russia. Every cubic foot of gas Israel sells to Europe is money out of Putin’s pocket. LOL
This is very heartening for all.
Does this make it more tempting for Russia to eventually invade Israel?
Oh yeah! Russia will be at the party, count on it!
I hope they employ the tightest security available to those platforms because they will become beacons for destruction by the radical muslims.
No kickbacks to biden, clinton, kerry or pelosi. Finally.
Israel: invest in nukes and subs. Lots of them.
re:”Israel: invest in nukes…”
What I’ve wondered about are those nukes. Do most people recall how America decommissioned a certain type of nuke back in the late 70’s? From what I recall it produced massive amounts of radiation to kill people, but not harm physical property so much. Neutron bomb??? I wonder if anyone has picked up that technology after America backed away from it. Seems like that would be the perfect battlefield weapon to slaughter the enemy wholesale and shorten any sort of conflict.
My late, extremely wealthy uncle invested tens of millions searching for oil in Israel, which some fundamentalist preacher had convinced him was prophesied in the Bible, but they got zilch. Turns out they were just looking in the wrong place — and for the wrong product.
I remember that. “The foot of Asher will be dipped in oil”. Many years ago I knew a lawyer named Parker who I think was related to your uncle. Not sure. Memory fades.
Well…..there is lots of oil…
but it’s olive oil!!!!!
Yeah, this is great news. It’s unfortunate that the project was significantly delayed by the Israeli government’s attempts to change the royalty structure post-discovery. This delay cost Israel and Noble to lose their front runner status in the eastern Med. When Eni made the Zohr gas discovery in Egyptian waters, it took some of the marketing options off of the table for the Leviathan operators.
TR, thanks for the tip on the Egyptian gas fields. Read about Eni at wiki and then some news reports. It’s even larger than Leviathan.
What a game-changer for that part of the world.
“game-changer…” LOL You betcha! Like throwing a handful of gold coins down in the center of the local Arab bazaar! ROFL You’ll have every Arab within 500 miles reaching for their knife, wanting to cut out a piece for themselves. We all know how well the Muslims ‘share’ their abundance!
caused Israel and Noble to lose their……
Too early in the morning.
Please stop using this phrase:
“In other news the Americans assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.”
Killing someone in self defense is not “assassination”
True.
‘Assassinate’ implies treachery. But Salami was on the battlefield.
GOD BLESS ISRAEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wonder if Turkey feels threatened that the transport fees they are collecting from the Baltic and Caspian pipelines crossing Turkey might start to dry up?