Jerusalem, 24 August, 2023 (TPS) -- The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is working to promote a plan to expand the supply of natural gas from Israel’s Tamar offshore reservoir by approximately 6 BCM per year starting in 2026, which represents an increase of approximately 60% in the production capacity of the reservoir compared to the output rate today.
The government said the step is being taken in order to strengthen the energy security of the State of Israel and to encourage competition in the natural gas industry.
The expansion, which is currently awaiting a final investment decision by the partnership in the reservoir, will be carried out by adding a third transmission line from the Tamar wells to the production rig, as well as upgrading the equipment in the production system.
The decision regarding the promotion of production expansion was made at the end of professional and comprehensive staff work conducted in recent months at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, which included an examination of natural gas supply and demand forecasts for the next 25 years – on an annual, monthly and daily level.
About a third of the increase in production capacity is intended for the local market and is expected to supply about 15-25% of the existing consumption of natural gas in the Israeli economy. In emergency cases, it will be possible to divert all of the additional production to the use of the local economy, in accordance with the provisions of the permit.