Contact details:
Manufacturers Association of Israel -
The Association of Oil & Gas Exploration Industries in Israel
29 Hamered str.
68125 Tel Aviv
Israel
W: www.industry.org.il
Mr Amir Foster
CEO
T: +972 54 7548828
E: [email protected]
The Association of Oil and Gas Exploration Industries in Israel was established in 2010, after the discovery of
massive gas reservoirs in Israel’s economic water, to bring together all the leading oil and gas exploration
companies that are active in Israel. Among the members of the Association are major Israeli E&P companies,
such as Delek Drilling and Ratio, as well as international corporations like Noble Energy (US), Energean
(Greece), and Edison (Italy).
The years 2009 and 2010 were dramatic for the Israeli energy market. During these years, thanks to the
successful exploratory drilling spearheaded by Noble Energy, the deep-water reservoirs Tamar (311 BCM) and
Leviathan (606 BCM) were discovered. These discoveries led to a series of successful drillings, and additional
gas reservoirs were found in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Tamar 1 exploratory drilling, conducted in 2009 and led by Noble Energy, was a wildcat operation,
reaching a maximum depth of 4,875 meters below sea level. Its success proved the existence of an
unprecedented volume of natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean, and a new geological play was born. Thus
far, natural gas reservoirs containing c. 1,000 BCM have been discovered in Israel’s economic waters, and in the
estimation of the Israeli Ministry of Energy, there are potentially 2,100 BCM of natural gas and 6.6 billion
barrels of crude oil in Israel’s economic waters.
Israel began using natural gas in 2004, upon completion of the development of a relatively small reservoir,
Mari B, which had been discovered in the late 1990s. A major leap forward in the integration of natural gas
into Israel’s energy market took place in 2013, when the Tamar reservoir was linked to Israel’s coast. In just 14
years, natural gas had become an especially significant energy source for Israel; in 2017, the share of natural
gas in Israel’s fuel mix exceeded 35%, and as of the beginning of 2019, more than 65% of electricity generated
in Israel is from natural gas.
The Association of Oil and Gas Exploration Industries in Israel works to introduce the use of natural gas in
Israel’s electricity, industry, and transportation sectors, and thereby replace imported and polluting fuels, like
coal. The Association works to maximize the hydrocarbon potential in Israel’s economic waters by raising
international awareness of the Israeli oil and gas industry and by encouraging the entry of foreign investors,
operators, and experienced, expert service providers into the Israeli market. The Association also promotes
the development of infrastructure for the export of natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean by leveraging
the shared economic and energy interests of Israel and neighboring states.