In conjunction with intense diplomatic negotiations to demarcate its maritime border with neighboring Lebanon, Israel is preparing to start work on the Karish offshore gas field, which would be key to boosting its exports to Europe.
The United States is mediating the two-year negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, which are officially at war. These negotiations aim to delineate the maritime borders between them, and to remove obstacles to commencing drilling work, to explore for gas in fields in the Mediterranean Sea, which are disputed by the two neighboring countries.
While the Hebrew state says that the entire Karish field is located in its exclusive economic zone, Lebanon says that the field is located in part of the waters disputed with Israel.
Tensions escalated after Energean last June brought in a ship to extract gas from the field on behalf of Israel. This development prompted Lebanon to demand the resumption of negotiations, which were suspended after the dispute over the area of the disputed area.
Hezbollah, the archenemy of Israel and enjoys great political influence in Lebanon, has sent a series of threats to Israel, warning it against undertaking any activity in Karish before reaching an agreement on the demarcation of the maritime border.
In early July, the Israeli army intercepted Drones Hezbollah, which has a huge military arsenal, sent it to survey the field. Talks between Lebanon and Israel have intensified in recent weeks, as the American mediator, Amos Hochstein, has been active in visits between them.
Energean confirmed on September 8 that it is ready to start production from the Karish field “within a few weeks”, while the Israeli government announced that it is “preparing to connect the field” to its national network. The Karish field production is expected to allow Israel to increase its gas exports to Europe.
“We will participate in efforts to find an alternative to Russian gas in Europe,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said last week in Berlin, adding that Israel intends to supply Europe “10 percent” of the quantities, which Russia was providing before its invasion of Ukraine on the 24th. February for the European Union.
Moscow supplied the EU countries in 2021 with about 155 billion cubic meters of gas, and thus 10 percent corresponds to 15.5 billion cubic meters.
Required production volume
Israel already supplies gas to Jordan and Egypt, and last June signed an agreement to liquefy its gas in Egypt with the aim of shipping it by sea to Europe. The Israeli offshore Leviathan and Tamar fields produce a total of 23 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually.
However, only a small amount of this production remains that can be exported to the European market, given that the Israeli domestic consumption is 13 billion cubic meters, while exports to Jordan and Egypt under the two agreements with them amount to about 9.5 billion cubic meters, she explains to AFP. Gina Cohen, an expert in the Israeli gas sector.
Cohen explains that “selling more gas to Europe requires stable production from the Karish field,” which has a short-term capacity of six billion cubic meters annually, criticizing the government’s failure to act quickly enough in relation to these files.
It is assumed that the quantities of gas that will be produced by the Karish field (north) will be used to meet the needs of the Israeli domestic market, and help increase exports from the Leviathan and Tamar platforms linked to the city of Ashdod (south).
By mid-2023, the pipeline connecting this city to the undersea gas pipeline between Israel and Egypt is scheduled to be expanded. Production from the Tamar and Leviathan fields should also be increased in the coming years to be able to compensate for 10 percent of the previous total Russian exports to Europe.
stress risks
But since there is a specific ceiling on the amount of natural gas that can be liquefied in Egypt, Israel must at the same time find other alternatives to transport its gas to Europe, including a gas pipeline between Israel, Cyprus and Turkey, or a line between Israel, Cyprus and Greece, or even the establishment of special stations It is used to liquefy gas, according to analysts.
In the meantime, Hezbollah warned of the consequences of any production in Karish before reaching an agreement on the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel. A spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister stressed on Monday evening that “Karesh is not part of the negotiations,” stressing that “production will start as soon as possible.”
The former Israeli brigadier general, Amir Avivi, said that the risk of tensions does exist, although there is a keenness on both sides to provide stability that would allow gas production. “Hezbollah is exploiting the Karish issue and the maritime borders to show its adherence to Lebanon’s interests,” said Avivi, and if an agreement is reached, “it can say (to the Lebanese) that it pushed Israel to make concessions.”