Strategic Assessment

Over the last decade there have been impressive developments in the three components of Israel’s natural gas industry: discovery, transport, and consumption. Early 2009 marked an historic development with the discovery of the Tamar and Dalit gas reservoirs off the Haifa- Hadera coasts. These discoveries joined previous gas discoveries in the Mediterranean (off the coast of Ashkelon) and ensure the continued development of the natural gas sector. A seismic survey from June 2010 indicated a possibility for much larger gas reservoirs, suggesting that Israel might have the potential to become a gas exporter. Natural gas is one of Israel’s few natural resources, and may provide it with strategic economic, security, and environmental advantages, and perhaps political as well.