Leviathan gas field
| Leviathan gas field | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | Israel |
| Region | Eastern Mediterranean Sea |
| Location | Levantine basin |
| Block | Rachel licence |
| Offshore/onshore | offshore |
| Coordinates | 33°10′04″N 33°37′02″E / 33.16778°N 33.61722°ECoordinates: 33°10′04″N 33°37′02″E / 33.16778°N 33.61722°E |
| Operator | Noble Energy |
| Partners | Avner Oil and Gas (22.67%) Delek Drilling (22.67%) Ratio Oil Exploration (15%) Noble Energy (39.66%) |
| Field history | |
| Discovery | December 2010 |
| Start of production | 2019 (expected) |
| Production | |
| Producing formations | Tamar sands |
The Leviathan gas field is a large natural gas field located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel, 47 kilometres (29 mi) south-west of the Tamar gas field. The gas field is located roughly 130 kilometres (81 mi) west of Haifa in waters 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) deep in the Levantine basin, a rich hydrocarbon area in one of the world's larger offshore gas finds of the past decade. According to some commentators, the gas find has the potential to change Israel's foreign relations with neighboring countries Turkey, and Egypt. Together with the nearby Tamar gas field, the Leviathan field is seen as an opportunity for Israel to become a major energy player in the Middle East.
In July, 2010, Noble Energy announced that seismic studies indicated there was a 50% chance of the Leviathan field containing natural gas, with the potential reserve size being estimated at 16 trillion cubic feet (450 billion cubic metres). The initial exploration well, Leviathan 1, was drilled to a depth of 5,170 metres (16,960 ft) and the discovery was announced on December 30, 2010. The cost of drilling the exploration well was $92.5 million. The well was drilled by Noble's Homer Ferrington rig.
The second stage of drilling of the Leviathan 1 well was intended to reach a depth of 7,200 metres (23,600 ft), which would include an additional natural gas reserve and potentially 600 million barrels of oil. While the gas discovery at -5170m was made in the Tamar sands layer which was already known to contain gas, the additional oil and gas potential exists in layers that have not been explored in the Levant basin. Noble has twice failed to reach the deeper layers due to technical challenges with drilling to the extreme depths involved. However, during drilling towards the intended target some gas was detected and as of 2012 Noble still had plans to explore those layers.
The Leviathan gas field was the largest gas field in the Mediterranean Sea until the August 2015 discovery of the Zohr gas field off the coast of Egypt, only 6 km from Cyprus's Block 11. Leviathan is the largest discovery in the history of Noble Energy. Noble Energy operates Leviathan with a 39.66% working interest; Delek Drilling holds 22.67%; Avner Oil Exploration holds 22.67%; and Ratio Oil Exploration holds the remaining 15%. In February 2014, Woodside Energy agreed to buy a 25% stake of the Leviathan field for up to US$2.55 billion. It was announced on 21 May 2014 that Woodside Energy pulled out of an agreement to take a stake worth up to $2.7 billion in Israel's flagship Leviathan gas project, as the group developing the field shifted focus to regional markets.
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