Israel Electric Corp. urges for more natural gas pipelines

Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) is encouraging the country to construct more natural gas pipelines to continue and expand power supplies.

Israel current has one pipeline delivering gas from various fields of its Mediterranean coast. The pipeline was built for gas supplies from the Yam Thetis side to the southern city of Ashkelon, which supplied approximately 60% of natural gas consumption in the country with the remainder being supplied by Egyptian gas company EMG.

Since the Yam Thetis depleted, Israel accelerated efforts to bring its Tamar and Leviathan fields online, rerouting the pipeline to the Tamar Field. In March the first gas delivery from the Tamar field took place after four years of development. Gas from the field is expected to meet domestic demand for the next 25 years.

Four new gas pipelines
IEC Chairman Yiftach Ron-Tal said at least one more pipeline is needed, but ideally the country needs four more gas pipelines, two in the north and two in the south.

Yiftach Ron-Tal said “If there is a failure in the pipeline we will have to go back to diesel for 50% of our energy generation.” He added, “I call on Delek and Noble Energy to develop a new pipeline. Noble and Delek Energy are the main partners in the Tamar gas field.

Israel’s gas exports
Israel recently discovered large amounts of natural gas off the Mediterranean coast. According to the Times of Israel, Israel’s High Court of Justice has agreed to allow gas exports from its newfound offshore fields.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court rejected petitions lodged by opposition parties against the governmental decision to allow 40% of the country’s natural gas to be sold to foreign buyers.

Finance Minister and Yesh Atid Party Chairman Yair Lapid recently said that Israel's offshore gas exports were expected to generate some US$ 60 billion in revenue over the next 20 years.

Edited from various sources by Hannah Priestley-Eaton

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/24102013/israel_electric_corp_urges_for_more_natural_gas_pipelines/