Tag Archive for energy

| May 13, 2012
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Israel to Search for Oil on the Golan Heights

Report: Israel has decided to search for oil on the Golan Heights after 20 years of delay due to objections from Syria.

Israel has decided to search for oil on the Golan Heights after 20 years of delay due to objections from Syria, according to Globes, which quoted the Hebrew daily Yediot Aharanoth.

After Israel formally took sovereignty over the strategic area in 1980, the Petroleum Act was applied to the area, allowing for the search for oil.

If Israel were to discover oil on the Golan Heights, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad would undoubtedly launch an international crisis. The international community, including the United States, does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan, despite the absence of any communities in the area when it was under Syrian occupation. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| May 10, 2012
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Israel’s Proven Gas Revenues: NIS 20b

This year’s state financial report includes an estimate of Israel’s rights to oil and gas discovery revenues. Amount: NIS 20.3 billion.

This year’s state financial report includes for the first time an estimate of Israel’s rights to revenues from oil and gas discoveries. Amount: NIS 20.3 billion. The estimate, made by the office of the Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance, is based on proven oil and gas discoveries.

Gas Pipeline

Gas Pipeline - photo by Reuters

These include the well at the Tamar gas field in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, but do not include the more recent Leviathan drill site, since that well is not defined as a discovery. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags:
| May 5, 2012
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Groups demand increase in rooftop solar quotas

Green groups argue allowing more solar roof installations would be simple way of helping bridge gaps that may occur this summer.

Eight environmental organizations appealed to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday asking that he promote an increase in the quota for photovoltaic rooftop panels, in light of the anticipated electricity shortages this summer.

 

Solar water heating
Solar water heating – Photo: M.O. Stevens

In their letter, which was released to the press on Thursday, the organizations argued that allowing more solar roof installations would be a simple and clean way of helping bridge the gaps that might occur this summer. The eight groups were the Society for the Protection of Nature (SPNI), the Israel Forum for Energy, the Renewable Energy Association of Israel, Adam Teva V’Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense), Life and Environment umbrella group for green organizations, Greenpeace Mediterranean, Israel Green Building Council and Green Course.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries | Tags:
| April 23, 2012
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Termination of Israeli-Egyptian natural gas agreement serves dangerous precedent

Move may be intended to pressure Israel to give up lawsuit for $8 billion in compensation for damages.

Mohamed Shoeb, head of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company, announced Sunday evening, that the company will terminate the agreement to provide natural gas to Israel, after a decision had been made on Thursday, due to what he had termed “Israel’s repeated breaching of the agreement.”

Shoeb, in interview on Al-Hayat television, stressed that the deal termination was due to failure on the part of the Israeli side to transfer the payments owed by Israel for some months and “had nothing to do with the repeated attacks on the pipeline.”

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| April 23, 2012
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Egypt ends gas deal with Israel, stakeholder says

Egypt’s energy companies inform EMG they have terminated agreement to supply gas to Israel. Source: Deal’s termination will set Egypt 30 years back, ‘both economically and politically’

 

Egypt‘s energy companies have terminated a long-term deal to supply Israel with gas after the cross-border pipeline sustained months of sabotage since a revolt last year, a stakeholder in the deal said on Sunday.

Blast at Egypt gas pipeline (archives) Photo: EPA

Blast at Egypt gas pipeline (archives) - Photo: EPA

Ampal-American Israel Corporation, a partner in the East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG), which operates the pipeline, said the Egyptian companies involved had notified EMG they were “terminating the gas and purchase agreement.” Continue Reading »

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| April 19, 2012
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‘Tamar gas may be available before April 2013’

Noble Energy CEO tells PM Netnayahu that he would make every effort to meet and even beat April 2013 target date for Tamar gad field production

 

The Energy Ministry is claiming that Noble Energy has not supplied the ministry with essential data pertaining to the production of natural gas in Israel.

In a meeting held on Monday between Energy Minster Uzi Landau and Noble Energy CEO Charles Davidson who is currently visiting Israel, ministry officials laid out a list of claims regarding the company’s recent actions.

(Illustration: Shutterstock)

Tamar may be operational next year - Photo Illustration: Shutterstock

Davidson and Noble Energy Director of Eastern Mediterranean Operations, Lawson Freeman also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his office. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| April 6, 2012
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Wind energy industry gets policy boost

National Zoning Board approves first-ever policy paper detailing guidelines for future wind turbines farms

Israel’s National Planning and Building Board approved the first-ever policy paper on wind turbines farms in Israel.

(Illustration) Photo: Index Open

(Illustration) Photo: Index Open

The policy paper aims to promote the production of 800 megawatts of electricity and the board’s approval is considered a breakthrough for Israel’s wind energy industry.

According to EnergiaNews, the paper – complied by the Interior Ministry’s planning administration – dismissed the idea of erecting offshore wind turbines and recommends forming wind turbines farms in the periphery and as part of industrial zones.

While wind energy is considered very environmentally friendly, the planning administration noted several concerns as to the turbines’ environmental impact, especially on the migration paths of birds. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries | Tags:
| April 6, 2012
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State to allow export of 50% of gas reserves

A committee chaired by the director general of the Energy and Water Resources Ministry Shaul Tzemach, decided that Israel needs to have some 400 billion cubic meters of gas as a strategic reserve at any one time; the rest may be exported to foreign countries.

The Tzemach Committee on Energy Policy has recommended keeping only 25 years of natural gas reserves for Israeli use, and allowing producers to export the rest. The committee published its interim report yesterday and will now accept public comments before preparing its final recommendations.

drilling platform

A drilling platform in the Tamar offshore natural gas field - Photo by Albatross

The committee, chaired by the director general of the Energy and Water Resources Ministry Shaul Tzemach, decided that Israel needs to have some 400 billion cubic meters of gas as a strategic reserve at any one time; the rest may be exported to foreign countries.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| April 3, 2012
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Israeli-US Air, Naval Forces Train for Energy War

Israeli, Greek and U.S. militaries are in an exercise in preparation for a possible war over Israel’s huge off-shore gas discoveries.

 

Israeli, Greek and U.S. forces are in the midst of a drill in preparation for a possible war over Israel’s huge off-shore gas discoveries, which also may contain commercializable oil. Lebanon and Hizbullah have claimed the fields are in Lebanese territory and that they will “defend” the area against drilling by Israel.

The week-long drill is simulating air-to-air combat and anti-submarine warfare and is taking place off the coast of Turkey, possibly signaling it not to interfere with Israeli energy operations in the Mediterranean Sea. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| April 1, 2012
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PM steps in again to reduce gas increase

Self-service liter of gas in Israel now NIS 7.79, far more than in the US, but still less than in much of Europe.

Gas station - By Marc Israel Sellem

Gas station - By Marc Israel Sellem

For the third time this year Prime Minister Binyamin stepped in Saturday night to significantly reduce the size of a planned gas increase, meaning the price of gas rose at midnight by five agorot, instead of the planned 20 agora hike.

The PM’s decision means that one liter of gas at a full service station will now cost NIS 8 ($8.16 per gallon), and a liter of self service gas will cost NIS 7.79 ($7.95 per gallon).

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Category: Israel News | Tags:
| March 29, 2012
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Israel Seeking Foreign Partners in Gas Fields

Israel is looking for foreign partners to help in exploiting some 35 trillion cubic feet of natural gas sitting off its coast.

Israeli officials are actively seeking foreign partners to help tap massive natural gas resources recently discovered off of its coast.

“All parties with expertise and know-how in prospecting, extraction and infrastructure are welcome,” Shaul Tzemah, head of Israel’s energy ministry, told French delegates at a seminar on Wednesday.

“It’s now or never – if you want a presence, there are opportunities to be grasped,” he told representatives of Electricité de France (EDF), Suez-Gaz de France and Technip.

Continue reading at:

 

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By Gabe Kahn
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Category: Innovations & Discoveries | Tags: ,
| March 28, 2012
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‘Natural gas exports will 1st go to Arab neighbors’

Landau says gas can be means to improve regional ties; Israel, Greece sign agreement for cooperation on environmental issues.

Landau with Greek counterpart Papaconstantinou - By Courtesy Energy and Water Ministry

Landau with Greek counterpart Papaconstantinou – By Courtesy Energy and Water Ministry

By exporting portions of its natural gas to the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, Israel could help bridge relations on a broader level with its neighbors, Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau said on Wednesday.

 “Naturally, the immediate export of natural gas will be to our neighbors the Palestinians and the Jordanians, and I believe that this connection will be an important step in building trust and peace in the region,” Landau said, according to his office.

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Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| March 21, 2012
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‘Real relief for Gaza energy crisis within 5 months’

Egypt envoy to Palestinian territories downplays tensions between Hamas, Cairo, says “our relations are strong.”

 

Egyptian Ambassador to the Palestinian territories Yasser Othman said Wednesday that the Gaza Strip will be connected to Egypt’s power grid within four to five months in a development that will alleviate an energy crisis that has plagued the Strip for the last three months.

Speaking with Saudi Arabian newspaper Al-Sharq, Othman said that Egypt and Gaza would begin work on connecting their power grids within the next few weeks.

“This will lead to a real relief for the deepening crisis in the Gaza Strip,” Othman said. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| March 16, 2012
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Egypt plans oil, gas exploration near border with Israel

Cairo says will explore oil, gas sites near maritime border with Israel in effort to ‘stake its hold on the area’

A source at the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said Wednesday that Egypt plans to auction exploration sites for oil and gas near its maritime border with Israel.

Fisherman protesting over Gaza sea blockade Photo: AFP

Fisherman protesting over Gaza sea blockade - Photo: AFP

The source noted that this will be the first time Egypt has auctioned exploration sites in the area.

The source further said that the oil and gas exploration will be held in accordance with the maritime borders set by the Egyptian government which are based on the international Maritime Law adopted by the UN in 1983. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| March 13, 2012
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Israel Strikes Oil Off Tel Aviv Coast

Israel has struck oil again, this time off the Tel Aviv coast. Owners say the find includes 100 million barrels of oil, worth $10 billion.

 

Israel has struck oil again, this time off the Tel Aviv coast. Developers maintain the find includes 100 million barrels  of oil, worth $10 billion.

Modiin Energy and Adira Energy discovered an estimated 128 million barrels of oil and 1.8 trillion cubic feet of gas in shallow water less than 15 miles northwest of Tel Aviv.

Oil tankers in New Jersey -- coming soon to Israel?

Oil tankers in New Jersey -- coming soon to Israel? Photo by: Reuters

Officials called the find “significant” and added, “Surveys conducted in recent months found oil in the target strata. Continue Reading »

Category: Innovations & Discoveries, Israel News | Tags: , ,
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