Australian concern Woodstock obtained the 30% of stakes in the Israeli Leviathan gas field and defeated Russian national gas major Gazprom's concurrency. Once ensured natural gas exports to Europe, Israel is now facing to energy problems with Lebanon and Palestine
Israel has preferred Australia to Russia as a energy partner in a important Mediterranean Sea gas field. On Tuesday 12/4, Australian concern Woodstock obtained the 30% of stakes in Leviathan gas field, defeating Chinese concern CNOOP and Russian national gas major Gazprom's concurrency.
According to Gazeta Wyborcza, Leviathan gas field, which contains 481 bcm of natural gas, can guarantee Israel a decade of energy independence.
Woodstock and other Leviathan's shareholders - US company Noble Energy and Israeli companies Delek Drilling, Avner Oil Exploration and Ratio Oil Explorations are now planning to export Leviathan's gas to Europe by LNG technology, and to Asia via the Suez Strict.
Considering the EU energy need's growing, Israel planed to export Leviathan's gas to Europe in order to allow Bruxelles a gas supplies' diversification from Russia's quasi monopoly. Nowadays, Russian gas supplies cover the 40% of EU total need.
After Israel established a international partnership with Greece and Cyprus about Israeli gas delivering to the EU, Gazprom tried to obtain the control on Leviathan gas field, in order to block a project which could undermine Russia's energy hegemony on Europe.
After Leviathan's deal has been solved, Israel has now to face two other energy struggles.
The first is lied to the diplomatic conflict Israel has with Lebanon, in order to establish national sea borders between the two neighbor countries.
Beirut started a gas field's research program in the Mediterranean Sea - which is similar to the Tel Aviv one - in an area whose possession has not been yet defined.
Cyprus, which has now the EU presidency, proposed its diplomatic mediation, in order to help Israel and Lebanon to solve the question in a peaceful way.
In addition to Lebanon, another problematic area for Israel's energy policy is Palestine.
As Natural Gas Asia reported, last October Israeli government negotiated with the Palestinian Authority the royalties Israel should recognize to Palestine for the development of natural gas fields in Gaza strip's sea portion.
The negotiations, which has been coordinated by UN special envoy Tony Blair, came to an end after a military escalation broke out between Israel and Palestine in last weeks.
Matteo Cazzulani
