Leviathan Partners to Start Drilling in Q1 2017
The Leviathan reservoir partners announced on Sunday their plans to begin drilling a new well in the basin during the first quarter of next year, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The partners announced today that work will commence in the first quarter of 2017 and a budget of $77 million has been allocated for the drilling. The first stage of the Leviathan drilling will begin immediately after completion of the drilling for the Tamar 8 gas field.
The Leviathan partners are Noble Energy Inc.(39.66%) Delek Group Ltd. units Avner Oil and Gas LP and Delek Drilling LP (22.67% each) and Ratio Oil Exploration (15%).
The Petroleum Commissioner in Israel’s Ministry of National Infrastructures, Energy and Water Resources approved the Leviathan development plan in June.
Noble Energy said that plan includes a subsea system that connects production wells to a fixed offshore platform with a tie-in onshore in the northern part of Israel. The fixed platform's initial capacity is anticipated to start at 1.2 bcf/d and is expandable to 2.1 bcf/d as sales contracts are solidified.
Delek Group and its partners at the Leviathan natural gas field off the coast of Israel announced plans for appraisal and production operations in the region. Delek Group President and CEO Asaf Bartfeld said the appraisal is part of a series of steps aimed at uncorking the field's full potential.
"These steps, as well as authorizing the Delek Group partnerships to take the final investment decision for development of the field, will allow us to comply with the timetables to produce natural gas from Leviathan by the end of 2019," he said in a statement.
