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Israël approuve le plan d’extension du gazoduc qui relie le pays à l’Égypte

Agence Ecofin 9 mai 2023

La coopération gazière entre Israël et l’Égypte est au beau fixe. Les deux pays se penchent sur plusieurs options d’amélioration de cette relation bilatérale. La toute dernière devrait permettre l’augmentation des volumes exportés par Israël.

Le gouvernement israélien a donné son feu vert à un plan ambitieux visant à étendre le gazoduc East Mediterranean Gas (EMG) qui relie les champs israéliens aux terminaux égyptiens. Le plan approuvé comprend un corridor d’infrastructures intégré entre Ashalim et Nitsana, qui augmentera le volume potentiel des exportations de gaz naturel vers l’Égypte.

Le projet d’extension sera mené par Israel Natural Gas Lines Co., avec le soutien du ministère des Infrastructures nationales, de l’Énergie et des Ressources en eau. Il aboutira à la mise en place d’une nouvelle ligne entre Ramat Hovav et Nitsana, sur une longueur de 65 kilomètres.

Rappelons que l’État hébreu exporte, chaque année, 5 milliards de mètres cubes de gaz naturel vers l’Égypte. Ce volume est transformé sur place, avant d’être réexporté vers des marchés comme l’Europe.

Ce nouveau gazoduc devrait permettre d’exporter chaque année six milliards de mètres cubes supplémentaires de gaz naturel vers l’Égypte. Il augmentera ainsi les options pour les pays européens, qui sont à la recherche d’autres sources de gaz naturel, à la lumière des enjeux nés de l’invasion de l’Ukraine par la Russie.

Le ministre israélien des Infrastructures nationales, de l’Énergie et des Ressources en eau, Israël Katz, a déclaré que l’approbation du plan renforcerait la coopération entre Israël et l’Égypte dans le domaine du gaz naturel. Le ministre s’est également engagé à « poursuivre le développement de la coopération dans les domaines du gaz naturel, des énergies renouvelables, de l’hydrogène et du stockage de l’énergie ».

Un nouveau gisement de gaz naturel découvert au large d'Israël

i24NEWS 31 mai 2023

Le ministère israélien de l'Énergie et la société Energian ont annoncé mercredi la découverte d'un nouveau gisement de gaz naturel au large des côtes d'Israël. Estimé à 68 milliards de mètres cubes, ce réservoir est d'importance significative, d'autant plus que la consommation annuelle d'Israël est inférieure à 13 milliards de mètres cubes. Le nouveau gisement a été nommé "Katlan", qui signifie "Orque" en hébreu.

Il s'agit de la quatrième plus grande découverte de gaz faite au large d'Israël depuis le début de la dernière décennie. Le gisement le plus important est celui de Leviathan, dont les réserves sont estimées à 600 milliards de mètres cubes. Le second, Tamar, est évalué à 300 milliards de mètres cubes, tandis que le champ de gaz Harish-Tanin, qui est aussi la propriété de la société Energian, a des réserves estimées à 100 milliards de mètres cubes.

Pour exploiter le nouveau gisement, les ingénieurs envisagent d'utiliser les infrastructures existantes, qui sont déjà en place pour la production de gaz naturel à partir du réservoir "Karish", opérationnel depuis six mois.

Matthews Rigas, le PDG d'Energian, a salué cette découverte dans un communiqué. "L'orque, un mammifère marin puissant, est un symbole de détermination et de courage. Nous commencerons à exploiter Katlan aussi rapidement et efficacement que possible. Cela créera une valeur considérable pour tous nos partenaires et ouvrira de nouvelles opportunités pour le gaz israélien sur le marché local et régional, et pour le bénéfice de l'économie israélienne dans son ensemble", a-t-il déclaré.

Le ministre de l'Énergie, Yisrael Katz, a souligné que "les réserves de 'Katlan' s'ajoutent à celles déjà présentes en Israël. Elles ont transformé le visage de l'économie énergétique locale et ont fait d'Israël une puissance énergétique mondiale. Il y a un potentiel pour d'autres découvertes dans les eaux de la mer Méditerranée. Ainsi, sous ma direction, le ministère continuera à développer les réserves de gaz naturel sur notre territoire et à promouvoir la découverte de nouvelles réserves de gaz naturel pour la sécurité énergétique d'Israël et afin d'assurer une économie énergétique israélienne fiable, propre et abordable."

Israël: expansion du méga-projet gazier Leviathan

AFP le 02 juill. 2023

Un troisième gazoduc sous-marin va relier le gisement gazier de Leviathan à sa plateforme d'exploitation en Israël augmentant sa capacité à produire du gaz a annoncé dimanche le consortium exploitant le gisement.

Les opérateurs du réservoir de Leviathan, NewMed Energy, Chevron Mediterranean Limited (CML) et Ratio Energies, ont pris la décision de construire un troisième gazoduc sous-marin reliant le Leviathan à sa plateforme située à dix kilomètres des côtes israéliennes, indique un communiqué commun.

"Le budget total du projet s'élève à environ 568 millions de dollars (environ 520 millions d'euros)", est-il indiqué.

Ce nouveau gazoduc permettra d'augmenter significativement la capacité de production du Leviathan, poursuit le communiqué prévoyant un premier flux au second semestre de 2025. Celle-ci devrait augmenter de 12 milliards à 14 milliards de m3 par an.

Découvert en 2010, ce gisement en Méditerranée localisé à quelque 130 kilomètres à l'ouest du port israélien de Haïfa, renferme des ressources exploitables chiffrées à environ 605 milliards de m3 de gaz naturel, selon le consortium israélo-américain qui l'exploite.

Il est le plus gros gisement de gaz naturel en mer d'Israël qui produit également du gaz naturel dans les champs offshore de Tamar et Karish.

"L'expansion de la capacité de production (...) va nous permettre de fournir davantage de gaz naturel au marché local, régional et bientôt également au marché mondial", a salué Yossi Abu, le PDG de NewMed Energy qui détient les droits d'exploitation sur plus de 45% du Leviathan.

Lancée en 2019, la production dans ce gisement est exportée vers la Jordanie et l'Egypte, et elle alimente en plus le marché intérieur israélien.

EDF switches on 40 MW of solar in Israel, selling power at $0.0223/kWh
French energy company EDF has built a new 40 MW solar farm in Ashalim, in Israel’s Negev Desert.

JULY 20, 2023 EMILIANO BELLINI



The Israeli government said this week that French energy giant EDF has commissioned a 40 MW solar power plant in Ashalim, a small community in southern Israel’s Negev Desert.

The facility is the fourth PV project built by the French company in the area. In 2018, it also completed the Pduyim (14 MW), Mefalsim (13 MW), and Kfar Maimon (7 MW) solar projects, which the Israeli authorities selected in a tender in 2017.

The new solar plant in Ashalim will sell power to the grid at a tariff of ILS 0.08 ($0.0223)/kWh, which the government said is the cheapest price paid for energy and solar power in Israel to date.

According to the Israeli government, Ashalim currently hosts 312 MW of operational solar capacity. In May 2023, the Israel Land Authority launched a tender to lease 28,000 acres (11,331 hectares) in the Negev Desert for the deployment of large-scale solar power plants.

The country mainly has PV at its disposal to increase its generation capacity, with around 5 GW already installed. The renewables target is 20% of generation by 2025 and 30% by 2030.

Energean takes FID for $1.2bn Katlan development project in Mediterranean Sea
The Katlan development project is designed to support Energean's existing gas sales agreements, target international markets, and is scheduled to commence production in the first half of 2027

Staff Writer 24th Jul 2024


The Katlan development project will have a subsea tieback to the existing Energean Power FPSO. (Credit: Energean plc)

Energean has announced the final investment decision (FID) for its Katlan development project offshore Israel in the Mediterranean Sea, with a capital expenditure of approximately $1.2bn.

The development will proceed in phases, with the first phase involving a subsea tieback to the existing Energean Power floating production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSO). This approach is expected to extend the production plateau from the FPSO and will not incur seller royalties or carry export restrictions.

The Katlan development project aims to support Energean’s existing gas sales agreements and target international markets. Production is scheduled to commence in the first half of 2027.

Energean CEO Mathios Rigas said: “This decision marks yet another positive milestone on Energean’s growth journey. The decision to move ahead with Katlan will not surprise anyone that knows our successful track record, given our commitment to the swift development and production of gas assets.”

he engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract for the subsea scope had been recently awarded to TechnipFMC. The contract includes a four-well-slot tieback capacity to a single large approximately 30km production line, which will be used for future phases of the Katlan development.

The Katlan project marks Energean’s first use of TechnipFMC’s configure-to-order Subsea 2.0 production systems.

The capital expenditure projected by Energean covers the subsea infrastructure, upgrades to the FPSO topsides for monoethylene glycol (MEG) treatment, injection, and storage, and the drilling of the first two production wells, named Athena and Zeus.

The two wells are expected to produce 170 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe), including 26 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas, with 2P reserves.

The Israeli Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure has granted a 30-year lease for the Katlan area, with a 20-year extension option. The Ministry has also ratified the Hermes discovery in the newly named Drakon area (Block 31), which was identified during the 2022 drilling campaign.

Discovered by Energean in 2022, the Katlan area is fully owned and operated by the company. The fields are situated at water depths of up to 1,800m.

The development plan for Phase 1, which includes the Athena, Zeus, Hera, and Apollo fields, was approved by the Israeli Government in December 2023. This phase includes a total production of 229mmboe, which comprises 35bcm of gas.

The wider Katlan area also contains an additional 223mmboe, including 34bcm of gas, of prospective volumes across other accumulations. These will be developed in future phases, requiring a shorter pipeline connection to the Phase 1 pipeline and benefiting from Phase 1 FPSO upgrades and investment.

Phase 1a will focus on the Athena and Zeus structures, while Phase 1b will target the Hera and Apollo fields.

EDF selected to build 100MW Israeli solar plant
The plant will be located near the southern community of Ashalim and is set to be online by 2027.

Alfie Shaw July 11, 2024

EDF Renewables, a subsidiary of the French state energy company EDF, has won an Israeli Government tender to build and operate a new 100MW solar plant.

The subsidiary submitted a bid of NIS0.07/kWh ($0.019), the lowest price ever recorded in an energy tender in Israel.

The previous lowest record had also been submitted by EDF for a 40MW solar power plant in Ashalim, a small settlement in the Negev Desert in the south of Israel. The Ashalim plant currently sells power to the grid at a tariff of NIS0.08/kWh.

“The tender results demonstrate that emission reduction and achieving renewable energy goals go hand in hand with lowering electricity prices, which is great news for Israeli citizens,” said Yehli Rotenburg, the accountant general of Israel.

Energy Ministry Director General Yossi Dayan said that the results of the tender show that renewable energy can help lower electricity production costs, which in turn will help lower the cost of living in Israel.

EDF Renewables wins tender for largest PV plant in Israel
EDF Renewables says it has won a tender to build and operate Israel’s largest PV plant, a 300 MW project near Dimona, with a bid under $0.019/kWh – the lowest price ever in the Israeli market.

August 22, 2024 Lior Kahana

EDF Renewables, a unit of French energy giant EDF, has won the Israeli government's latest tender to build and operate the country's largest solar plant, according to a statement by the Israeli Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. The 300 MW project will be built near the southern city of Dimona in the Negev desert.

The company submitted a bid of just below ILS 0.07 ($0.019)/kWh – the lowest price ever recorded in an energy tender in Israel. EDF Renewables broke the ILS 0.07/kWh mark for the first time in July when it won a tender to build and operate a new 100 MW in the small community of Ashalim, about 30 km away from the Dimona plant site.

“This project is a real breakthrough regarding electricity prices, strengthening the country's energy independence, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said the accountant general in the Israeli Ministry of Finance, Yehli Rotenberg. “We will continue to promote national projects through the public-private partnership (PPP) method to provide maximum value to electricity consumers and the necessary certainty in establishing national infrastructure according to the economy's needs.”

Upon completion, the Dimona-Ashalim region will supply 700 MW of renewable energy across six plants.

“The tender is an important milestone on the way to achieving the national renewable energy target,” said Minister of Energy Yossi Dagan. “The unprecedented price of less than ILS 0.07 per kWh demonstrates the significant progress in solar technology and highlights the potential of solar energy to strengthen the electricity grid by diversifying energy sources and decentralizing power generation sites while also offering very attractive energy prices for the electricity market.”

Teralight switches on Israel’s largest solar plant
Teralight has activated Israel’s biggest PV project, the 150 MW Ta’anach 1 array, which will produce 310 GWh of energy per year. The facility will be expanded next year with the 104 MW Ta’anach 2 installation, featuring 440 MWh of energy storage.

January 27, 2025 Lior Kahana


Ta’anach 1 project Image: Teralight

Israeli solar developer Teralight said in a recent statement that it has started operating the country’s largest solar project, Ta’anach 1. The 150 MW solar array is located in the Jezreel Valley of northern Israel and is projected to annually generate 310 GWh of solar energy.

“The commercial operation of the Ta’anach 1 project marks a significant milestone for the company, solidifying Teralight’s role as a key player in Israel’s green electricity production and supply sector,” said CEO Rani Lifshitz. ”The entire project advances Israel’s efforts to increase the use of clean, locally produced solar energy.”

The company estimates that the new plant will generate full-year revenue of about ILS 60 million ($ 16.6 million), with an annual operating cash flow of ILS 46.4 million. Teralight holds a 51% stake in the project, while the remaining 49% is owned by Israeli insurer Migdal Group.

Ta’anach 1 is expected to be joined by the Ta’anach 2 project by the second half of 2026. This second 104 MW project, which is wholly owned by the developer, will include a 440 MWh energy storage facility.

The company is also currently working on the Maglan project, which is expected to be connected to the grid in 2027. The company said that the project, with 340 MW of PV production and 1,110 MWh of storage capacity, will be “Israel’s largest green energy initiative,” although it is being built in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Leviathan Operators Eye Gas Output Boost

By Irina Slav - Feb 24, 2025

The companies operating the Leviathan gas field offshore Israel plan to increase the production capacity of the project substantially, from 12 billion cubic meters annually at the moment to as much as 21 billion cubic meters.

Per a Reuters report quoting NewMed Energy, one of the partners, the expansion would require an investment of some $2.4 billion. The final capacity target for the operators is a production capacity of 23 billion cubic meters, the report said without mentioning a date. The short-term target is to boost capacity to 14 billion cubic meters by next year.

The Leviathan project, led by Chevron, is one of the biggest natural gas developments in the Mediterranean. It supplies gas to Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. Europe has been looking to secure some Mediterranean gas supply over the long term as well to secure its energy needs.

“The Leviathan reservoir is the most stable and strongest energy hub in the Mediterranean,” Yossi Abu, the chief executive of NewMed Energy, said as quoted by Reuters. “The expanded production capacity will meet the increasing demand in the domestic market, in addition to bolstering Israel's status as an energy provider and strengthening regional ties and collaborations.”

The Leviathan field is located in the Levant Basin, which has seen some 85 trillion cu ft in hydrocarbon resources discovered over the past 20 years. In Israel alone, thanks to an aggressive push to develop local hydrocarbon resources, natural gas reserves have swelled by 40% over ten years. Offshore production of natural gas since 2013, when the Tamar field, was started, has grown fivefold.

Leviathan is one of the biggest deepwater natural gas fields in the world and the biggest in the Mediterranean. Back in 2023, Chevron and NewMed Energy discussed adding a floating LNG facility at the field to further boost supply and diversify destinations.