Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Gas should start flowing again by the end of the week following repairs to the infrastructure on one of Israel's largest offshore fields, partners said.
Delek Drilling, a partner at the Tamar natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea, said the operator, the regional subsidiary of Noble Energy, found a crack on an emergency emissions pipeline during regular maintenance that led to a halt in production last week.
"The operator is acting to repair the malfunction, and has updated the Tamar partners that the planned date for completion of the repair and commencement of flow of natural gas from the Tamar reservoir is during the coming week," Delek said in a statement Sunday.
An independent reviewer, Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc., said the volume of natural gas estimated in the Tamar field stands at 11.2 trillion cubic feet, with an additional 14.6 million barrels of condensate, a 13 percent increase from the previous estimate. Condensate is an ultra-light mixture of hydrocarbon liquids.
Jordanian power companies were among the first to express interest in natural gas produced offshore Israel. Delek said earlier this year the eventual export from Tamar is leading to a potential record for demand for regional natural gas.
Delek said it expects the down time to result in a loss of about $3.5 million in revenue for the sale of natural gas. The cost of the repair, however, should be minimal.
"The operator has informed the Tamar partners that there is no safety and environmental exposure," the company said.
