Houston-based Noble Energy and its partners expect to bring Leviathan, Israel’s largest offshore natural gas field, on stream next month. Preparations for development are 96% complete, and work has gone forward ahead of schedule and below the budgeted cost, Noble said.
The company, which is the operator of the Leviathan project, said it had taken a major step towards starting commercial operations earlier this year when it installed the topsides of its production platform in the Mediterranean Sea. “Full hookup of the platform and living quarters, as well as platform commissioning, continues to progress towards the first production in December,” it said.
Noble and its partners hope to export some of the volumes they extract from Leviathan via the East Mediterranean Gas (EMG) pipeline, which connects Israel and Egypt. The U.S. company acquired an equity stake in the pipe earlier this month.