Leviathan Partnership Inks $2bn Sale Contract

Leviathan Partnership has signed another gas sales contract, taking it nearer a final investment decision on the Leviathan gas field. The FID is expected by the end of this year or early next year. This time the customer is Or Energies, a power generation operator who signed an agreement to purchase 8.8 bn m³ over a 20-year agreement worth up to $2bn. The power station's construction has yet to be approved by the regulators.

Last month Leviathan Partnership announced a PSA to sell gas to Paz Group's refinery. So far Leviathan Partnership has secured annual sales of about 4.5-5 bn m³ in five agreements two of them to power generation facilities which are yet to be built.

Although officially the deadline for the FID is by the end of this year, the actual date is February 20, 2017, the last day in which Delek Group will be able to exercise the loan commitment letters the company signed last month with HSBC and JP Morgan to finance its part in the project.

Israel's offshore blocks

(Credit: government)

Another obstacle that has yet to be cleared is the sale by Noble Energy of 3% of Tamar gas field to a Harel Group. Noble is expected to receive $369mn for the 3% and it said that this sum will be used for its equity investment in Leviathan. Although Israel energy ministry approved the deal in October, the companies still haven’t announced the transaction's completion.

Ya'acov Zalel