Leviathan in start-up delay

Gas production from Noble Energy-operated Leviathan field offshore Israel was expected to start Monday, December 23, however, Noble’s partner Delek said Monday production would start “in the coming days.” 

The brief delay comes after the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy said Monday there would be a delay to the expected start-up date “because Noble Energy had been required to give the public notice (on its website) at least two working days prior to the start of the production, but failed to do so with enough notice before Monday.”

The Ministry said that production would begin one day later – on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019. However, Delek, Noble’s partner in the project said Monday that in its estimation, the piping of the gas from the Leviathan reservoir “is expected to commence in the coming days” after receipt of the required approvals from the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Worth noting, there was no public notice on Noble Energy’s website regarding the production start-up on Noble Energy’s website at the time of writing on December 27.

The Leviathan project is the largest energy project in Israel’s history. The project is being developed via an offshore platform from which treated gas and stabilized condensate will flow through a northern entry pipeline connected to the INGL (Israel Natural Gas Lines) national gas transmission system.

According to Noble Energy, the Leviathan gas will make it possible for the Israeli energy sector to be based almost exclusively on electricity generated by natural gas. Also, it will make Israel an energy exporter.

The Leviathan field is estimated to hold 33 Tcf of natural gas resources in place (22 Tcf recoverable). It was discovered in December 2010, 125 kilometers west of Haifa. It will have a total production capacity of 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (Bcf/d).

Offshore Energy Today Staff

Spotted a typo? Have something more to add to the story? Maybe a nice photo? Contact our editorial team via email.

Also, if you’re interested in showcasing your company, product, or technology on Offshore Energy Today, please contact us via our advertising form, where you can also see our media kit.