Natural gas exports from Israel to neighbors Egypt and Jordan could commence before the end of the year, Delek Drilling CEO Yossi Abu said on Wednesday, Trend reports citing The Jerusalem Post.
"Our objective was to flow gas to the Israeli market [from the Leviathan gas field] by the end of 2019, and we are even ahead of our original December target," Abu said at a pre-election conference hosted by The Jerusalem Post and Maariv.
"Israel, Jordan and Egypt will start receiving gas from Leviathan, even before the end of this year," said Abu.
In February 2018, Delek Drilling and Noble Energy signed a $15 billion decade-long deal to supply 64 billion cu.m. of natural gas to Egypt's Dolphinus Holdings from the Leviathan and Tamar gas fields, with the latter already supplying natural gas to Israel since 2013.
The deal with Egypt follows a September 2016 agreement worth $10 billion between Jordan’s National Electric Power Company Ltd. and the Leviathan project partners to supply a gross quantity of 45 billion cu.m. of natural gas to Israel’s eastern neighbors over a 15-year period.
According to Reuters, Egyptian petroleum minister Tarek El Molla said on Tuesday that plans to start gas exports from Israel to Egypt are on track but further steps are still needed before exports can commence.
"Everything is agreed on… countries (involved) have already given their blessings. There is no issue in that," said Molla during the 24th World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi.