Chevron Mediterranean Limited (CML), a subsidiary of the U.S.-headquartered Chevron, and its partners have given the green light for a planned expansion of gas export capacity from a giant natural gas field project off the coast of Israel.
By taking a final investment decision (FID) for the Leviathan natural gas reservoir , Chevron and its partners, NewMed Energy and Ratio Energies , have fired the starting gun to expand the production capacity of the strategic Leviathan production platform offshore Israel.
Clay Neff , President of Chevron Upstream, commented: “Chevron is a leading energy player in the Eastern Mediterranean where we are focused on natural gas production and exports. Our operations are critical to meeting the growing energy needs of local and regional markets.
“ Our decision to invest in the expansion of Leviathan’s production capacity reflects our confidence in the future of energy in the region. Pragmatic U.S. and regional energy policies are helping to strengthen energy security across the Eastern Mediterranean and foster an environment that encourages investment in the Middle East and globally.”
This expansion project, which is expected to come online towards the end of this decade, entails drilling three additional offshore wells, adding more subsea infrastructure, and enhancing the treatment facilities on the Leviathan production platform, as progress continues towards increasing total gas delivery to Israel and the region to approximately 21 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually from the reservoir.
The Leviathan production platform is situated approximately 10 kilometers offshore Dor, Israel. The field’s working interest owners include Chevron Mediterranean as operator (39.66%), NewMed Energy (45.34%), and Ratio Energies (15%).
Jack Baker , Managing Director of Chevron’s Eastern Mediterranean region, outlined: “This milestone demonstrates our ongoing commitment to partner with the State of Israel to develop natural gas resources and provide essential energy to millions of people in Israel, Egypt and Jordan.”
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Aside from Leviathan, Chevron’s assets in the Eastern Mediterranean include the Tamar gas producing field offshore Israel and the Aphrodite gas field, which is currently under development offshore Cyprus.
The firm is also the operator of two Egyptian exploration blocks and is a member of a non-operated joint venture (NOJV) in one Egyptian exploration block in the Mediterranean Sea.