World Jewish News

The move is aimed at fulfilling Israel’s domestic needs for the next couple of decades and to transform the country’s energy security in the coming years.

Israel begins natural gas production at Tamar field

Israel has begun pumping its first offshore natural gas in the Mediterranean Sea, the Energy and Water Ministry announced.
The move is aimed at fulfilling Israel’s domestic needs for the next couple of decades and to transform the country’s energy security in coming years.
Gas from the Tamar field, the smaller of Israel’s two biggest offshore reservoirs, began to flow at 4pm on Saturday, the ministry said.
The well is located about 90km off the coast of Haifa in northern Israel and the gas will arrive via pipeline to an onshore terminal at Ashdod in southern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the launch of production at Tamar marked “an important day for the Israeli economy”.
“On the Festival of Freedom, we are taking an important step toward energy independence,” Mr Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday, referring to the week-long Pessach (Passover) holiday, which ends on Monday.
“We have advanced the natural gas sector in Israel over the last decade, which will be good for the Israeli economy and for all Israelis.”
The Tamar project, which costs $3bn, took four years to develop, and is the largest privately funded infrastructure project in Israeli history. .

EJP