Delek Drilling said on Monday it had signed a non-binding deal to sell its stake in the east Mediterranean natural gas field Tamar to Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Petroleum for $1.1 billion, Trend reports with reference to Reuters.
The deal, if finalised, would be one of the most significant developments since Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalise ties last year.
The Tamar gas field is one of Israel's primary energy sources and is able to produce 11 billion cubic metersof gas each year. That is enough to cover much of the Israeli market as well as exports to Egypt and Jordan. Delek holds a 22% stake in the field, which is operated by Chevron.
Delek, which also holds a major stake in the even larger Leviathan gas field nearby, is selling its Tamar stake to comply with government moves to open the market to more competition.
Delek said the aim was to try to complete the deal, which would require approval by Israel's Energy Ministry, by the end of May.