The Israeli Ministry of Energy said on the sidelines of the climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, that it will take Israel several years before it can significantly increase natural gas supplies to Europe.
In response to a question about when the new deliveries under the framework agreement would be delivered, Israeli Energy Ministry Director General Lior Shilat said, “It will take some time,” and continued, “There will be some increase in the short term, but larger numbers will come later.” .
Shilat noted that “Israel expects to dramatically increase gas production within three to four years and possibly double it, which will provide large volumes in excess of its domestic export needs.” preparing for this by exploring ways to expand the capacity of the pipeline.” pipes to Egypt.
“It is true that most of our surplus gas will be produced in the next three to four years,” he said. “Obviously, this is not an immediate opportunity to supply gas in the short term. We are talking about a relatively small volume here.” .”
Israel and Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Union last June to supply more gas to the bloc as it seeks to diversify its activities away from Russia.
Israel has become an energy exporter after discovering a number of offshore gas fields over the past decade, increasing the amount it sells to Egypt and Jordan and considering bringing more gas to Egypt where it can be liquefied and sold to distant markets. such as liquefied gas. natural gas.
Israel owns several offshore gas fields. The largest of them, Leviathan, is mainly intended for export.
Source: Israeli TV.
