Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Feb. 1 inaugurated the foundation of the Leviathan natural gas rig, effectively stomping out protests from residents and environmentalists who say it is too close to shore.
Leviathan, discovered in 2010, is one of the world’s largest gas discoveries of the past decade. The rig’s foundation, known as a platform jacket, arrived on a barge that sailed from Texas. Its topside is expected in several months. It is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
“Israel is becoming an energy power. Israel is independent, and is not dependent on anyone for its energy needs,” Netanyahu told reporters at the site, about 120 km (75 miles) off Israel’s Mediterranean coast.
Leviathan will be connected by a subsea pipeline to a production platform much closer to shore, just 10 km (6 miles) from a popular beach, angering some opposition lawmakers, environmentalists and residents.
They have demanded, with several unsuccessful petitions to Israel's Supreme Court, the rig be pushed farther out to sea. But the arrival of the platform's massive legs effectively stomps out the protest and any doubt it created around the completion of Israel's largest energy project ever.
The project operator, Texas-based Noble Energy, has a 39.66% stake in the field, while Israel’s Delek Drilling holds a 45.34% share, and Ratio Oil has the remaining 15%.
Recommended Reading
Liberty Energy CEO: NatGas is Here to Stay as Energy Transition Lags
2024-03-27 - The energy transition hasn’t really begun given record levels of global demand for oil, natural gas and coal, Liberty Energy Chairman and CEO Chris Wright said during the DUG GAS+ Conference and Expo.
API Gulf Coast Head Touts Global Emissions Benefits of US LNG
2024-04-01 - The U.S. and Louisiana have the ability to change global emissions through the export of LNG, although new applications have been frozen by the Biden administration.
Segrist: The LNG Pause and a Big, Dumb Question
2024-04-25 - In trying to understand the White House’s decision to pause LNG export permits and wondering if it’s just a red herring, one big, dumb question must be asked.
Exclusive: Activists Sending 'Wrong Signal' on US LNG
2024-02-23 - Anne Bradbury, the CEO of the American Exploration & Production Council, says the Biden administration's pause on U.S. LNG export approvals sends a wrong message about the importance of LNG to the American economy and the climate, in this Hart Energy LIVE Exclusive interview.
Exclusive: Scott Tinker Says Pausing LNG Ups Coal Use
2024-02-20 - In this Hart Energy LIVE Exclusive interview, Scott Tinker, chairman of Switch Energy Alliance, talks about energy security globally, and dives into the effects of the Biden administration's LNG pause.