And from AFP, December 31:
Israel's Leviathan field begins pumping gas
Israel's offshore Leviathan field started pumping gas on Tuesday in what the operating consortium called "a historic turning point in the history of the Israeli economy."....MUCH MORE
A joint statement from partners Noble Energy, Delek Drilling, and Ratio said that the start of production was expected to lead to an immediate reduction in domestic electricity prices and the start of exports.
"For the first time in its history, Israel to become a significant natural gas exporter," it said.
On December 17, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz announced approval of sales to Egypt from Leviathan and the smaller Tamar field.
A spokesman for Israeli partner Delek said then that deliveries to Egypt were expected to begin on January 1.
Leviathan was discovered 130 kilometres (81 miles) west of the Mediterranean port city Haifa in 2010.
It is estimated to hold 535 billion cubic metres (18.9 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas, along with 34.1 million barrels of condensate.
Delek and US-based Noble struck a $15 billion 10-year deal with Egypt's Dolphinus last year to supply 64 billion cubic metres (2.26 trillion cubic feet).
It will be the first time Egypt, which in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace accord with Israel, imports gas from its neighbour....
The next day, Reuters via CNBC:
Jordan gets first natural gas supplies from Israel
Meanwhile, down the coast, from RigZone:
Exxon Secures Exploration Acreage Offshore Egypt
Exxon Mobil Corp. said Monday it has secured more than 1.7 million acres for exploration offshore Egypt.
The oil powerhouse’s acquisition includes 1.2 million acres in the North Marakia offshore block and 543,000 acres in the North East El Amriya offshore block in the Nile Delta.
“These awards strengthen our exploration portfolio in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Mike Cousins, senior vice president of exploration and new ventures at ExxonMobil, said in a company statement.
Exxon has had a strong downstream presence in Egypt, dating back to 1902. The new awards will add upstream interests to the company’s operations in Egypt....MORE
