Israel's Leviathan field begins pumping gas
A spokesman for Israeli partner Delek said then that deliveries to Egypt were expected to begin on January 1
Israel's offshore Leviathan field started pumping gas on Tuesday in what the operating consortium called "a historic turning point in the history of the Israeli economy."
A joint statement from partners Noble Energy, Delek Drilling, and Ratio said the start of production was expected to lead to an immediate reduction in domestic electricity prices and the start of exports, "For the first time in its history, Israel to become a significant natural gas exporter," it said.
A spokesman for Israeli partner Delek said then that deliveries to Egypt were expected to begin on January 1. It will be the first time Egypt will import gas from its neighbor.
Leviathan was discovered 130 kilometres (81 miles) west of the Mediterranean port city Haifa in 2010, and holds an estimated 535 billion cubic metres (18.9 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas.
Besides bringing energy independence, Israel hopes its gas reserves will enable it to strengthen strategic ties in the region and help forge new ones, with an eye on the European market. Natural gas is set to replace coal as the the main fuel for power generation in Israel.
Critics note that while less polluting than coal, gas is still far from being a clean source of energy. There have been public fears that the start of production from Leviathan could bring harmful emissions.
Israel's environmental protection ministry has set up monitoring stations in communities along the northern coast to check for any spike in pollution.
Israeli public radio reported that some residents had evacuated their homes until results of the air testing are verified.