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Source: Legal Insurrection
by William A. Jacobson | Friday, January 10, 2020
"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:
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.
Israel's new offshore fields are enormous, which is part of the reason Turkey has been so belligerent..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….
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.
[Image via YouTube]
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:
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.The Leviathan development was delayed by bureaucratic snafus and environmental opposition, but just came on line. And this is a big deal.
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 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.
Leviathan Delivers First Gas
Please go to Legal Insurrection to read the entire article.
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Related as Israel becomes the dominant regional power:
Princess Ivanka
Noble Energy
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