Meged oil field

Last updated
Meged oil field
mgd bSHqy`h.jpg
Meged oil field at sunset, February 2011
Israel location map with stripes.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the Meged oil field within Israel
Country Israel
Region Central District
Location Rosh HaAyin
Offshore/onshoreOnshore
Coordinates 32°2′27.22″N35°0′0.76″E / 32.0408944°N 35.0002111°E / 32.0408944; 35.0002111 Coordinates: 32°2′27.22″N35°0′0.76″E / 32.0408944°N 35.0002111°E / 32.0408944; 35.0002111
Operator Givot Olam
Field history
Discovery2004
Start of development2004
Start of production2010
Production
Estimated oil in place200 million tonnes
(~ 242.5×10^6 m3 or 1525 million  bbl)

The Meged oil field is an oil field that was first discovered in the 1980s but declared to not be commercially viable at the time. [1] In 2004, Givot Olam declared to have made it commercially viable to drill. It is one of the largest on-shore oil fields in Israel. It began production in 2010 and produces oil as well as some natural gas. Its proven oil reserves are about 1,525 million barrels (242.5×10^6 m3). [2]

Contents

Overview

The Meged oil field is located near the towns of Kfar Saba and Rosh Ha'Ayin in Israel. It is situated close to the southern tip of the Palmyra rift system, a geological formation that extends across Syria to the northeast. [3] Givot Olam, which owns and operates the Meged license, [4] first announced its discovery of the Meged field in April 2004. [1] The field spans 200 square kilometers. [5]

In early January 2012, Givot Olam reported that the state had rejected the company's proposal to drill at Meged wells 6, 7 and 8. [17] Later in the month Givot reported that it had obtained approval to proceed with drilling operations at Meged wells 5, 6 and 14. [18]

Agreements

In 2010, Givot Olam sold 240 barrels of oil obtained from Meged 5 to Oil Refineries Ltd (BAZAN), an Israeli oil refining company. [19]

During the first quarter of 2011 Givot sold NIS4.6 million worth of crude oil extracted from the Meged field to refineries. [14]

An agreement signed between Givot Olam and Natural Gas for Israel Ltd. (GTL) in March 2012 stipulated that the former would supply natural gas to GTL from the Meged 5 well for a period of three years in exchange for $4.4 million, beginning in 2013. [20]

Religion

Givot Olam founder Tovia Luskin was drawn to the Meged site after interpreting a geological survey of the area in 1988 as confirming a biblical passage in the Book of Deuteronomy (33:15) and its associated commentary by Rashi. [21] According to Luskin, he visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe in New York in 1990 and received a blessing from him. [22] [23] [24]

In order to accommodate Jewish religious proscriptions against performing labor on the Sabbath, in 2011 Givot Olam introduced Shabbat clocks into its production system to obviate the use of manual faucets. [25]

Land rights

With the location of Meged Oil field close to the border between Israel and the West Bank, it is subject to a dispute over ownership rights.

Palestinians claim that Givot Olam decided that the field is commercially viable only after the creation of the Israeli West Bank barrier to the west of the field, which they claim is located within the borders of the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate. [26]

According to a source in the Palestinian Authority, 80% of the Meged oil field is on land owned by Palestinians. [27] Efraim Sneh has stated that although the oil drilling site is in Israel the oil reservoir may extend to the West Bank near the West Bank village of Rantis. Sneh suggested that cooperation between the Israeli and Palestinian sides could lead to the construction of a joint oil pipeline. [28]

Fracking

According to reports published by Givot Olam, the methods used in determining the potential for oil extraction at some of the Meged wells involve fracking. [29] [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

Gush Dan Metropolitan area in Israel

Gush Dan is a conurbation in Israel, located along the country's Mediterranean coastline. There is no single formal definition of Gush Dan, though the term is in frequent use by governmenting bodies. It ranges from combining Tel Aviv with cities that form urban continuum with it, to the entire areas from both the Tel Aviv and the Central District, or sometimes the whole Metropolitan Area of Tel Aviv, which includes a small part of the Southern District as well. Gush Dan is the largest conurbation and metropolitan area in Israel, with the metropolitan area having an estimated population of 4,054,570 residents, 95% of whom are Israeli Jews. Despite making up less than 8% of Israel's total land area, it houses about 45% of the country's total population. It is the second or third largest metropolitan area on the Mediterranean Sea.

Kfar Saba City in Israel

Kfar Saba, officially Kefar Sava, is a city in the Sharon region, of the Central District of Israel. In 2019 it had a population of 110,456. The population in Kfar Saba is nearly entirely Jewish.

Rosh HaAyin City in Israel

Rosh HaAyin is a city in the Central District of Israel. To the west of Rosh HaAyin is the fortress of Antipatris and the source of the Yarkon River. To the southeast is the fortress of Migdal Afek. In 2019, it had a population of 61,801.

Bat Ayin Israeli settlement in the West Bank

Bat Ayin is an Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion in the West Bank, between Jerusalem and Hebron. It is administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council, with a population of less than 1,000, consisting mainly of "Ba'alei T'shuva" Jews with Hasidic tendencies. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli and US governments dispute this.

Hagor Place in Central, Israel

Hagor is a moshav in the Central District of Israel. Located between Rosh HaAyin and Kfar saba it falls under the jurisdiction of Drom HaSharon Regional Council. In 2019 it had a population of 1,162.

Israeli Beach Soccer League

The Israeli Beach Soccer League, currently known as Ligat Bank Yahav for sponsorship reasons, is the top division in the Israeli Beach Soccer league. In July 2007 the league was inaugurated under the supervision of the Israel Football Association. To celebrate the launch of the league, a friendly game between national teams of England and Israel was played, with the Israelis winning 6–5.

Rail transport in Israel

Rail transport in Israel includes heavy rail as well as light rail. Excluding light rail, the network consists of 1,384 kilometers (860 mi) of track, and is undergoing constant expansion. All of the lines are standard gauge and as of 2016 the heavy rail network is in the initial stages of an electrification program. A government owned company, Israel Railways, manages the entire heavy rail network. Most of the network is located on the densely populated coastal plain. Some of the rail routes in Israel date back to before the establishment of the state – to the days of the British Mandate for Palestine and earlier. Rail infrastructure was considered less important than road infrastructure during the state's early years, and except for the construction of the coastal railway in the early 1950s, the network saw little investment until the late 1980s. In 1993, a rail connection was opened between the coastal railway from the north and southern lines through Tel Aviv. Previously the only connection between northern railways and southern railways bypassed the Tel Aviv region – Israel's population and commercial center. The linking of the nationwide rail network through the heart of Tel Aviv was a major factor in facilitating further expansion in the overall network during the 1990s and 2000s and as a result of the heavy infrastructure investments passenger traffic rose significantly, from about 2.5 million per year in 1990 to about 67 million in 2018.

Tamar gas field

The Tamar gas field is a natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel. The field is located in Israel's exclusive economic zone, roughly 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Haifa in waters 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) deep. The Tamar field is considered to have proven reserves of 200 billion cubic metres of natural gas, while the adjoining Tamar South field has 23 billion cubic metres. Together, they may have an additional 84 BCM of "probable" reserves and up to 49 BCM of "possible" reserves. At the time of discovery, Tamar was the largest find of gas or oil in the Levant basin of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the largest discovery by Noble Energy. Since Tamar's discovery, large gas discoveries have been made in other analogous geological formations dating back to the Oligocene–Miocene epoch in the Levant basin. Because Tamar was the first such discovery, these gas containing presalt formations have become collectively known as Tamar sands.

Afikim (company)

Afikim is an Israel bus company that operates on routes connecting the Gush Dan and Sharon plain regions with the western Samaria region of the West Bank, as well as lines in Ashdod, Yavne, Rosh HaAyin and other locations.

Events in the year 2003 in Israel.

Leviathan gas field

The Leviathan gas field is a large natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel, 47 kilometres (29 mi) south-west of the Tamar gas field. The gas field is 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 largest offshore natural gas field finds. 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 achieve a degree of energy independence in the Middle East.

Eastern Railway (Israel)

The Eastern Railway refers to a railroad in central Israel stretching from Lod to Hadera. The section between Kfar Saba and Lod, as well as a short section just north of Hadera are currently in use but the rest of the railway has not been operative since 1969. However, in 2019 a large-scale project began to rebuild and upgrade the railway along the entire route.

Events in the year 2003 in the Palestinian territories.

Sara and Myra

Sara and Myra were two Israeli offshore drilling licenses located west of Netanya, Israel. The licenses expired on July 13, 2015. Exploratory drilling in the license area in 2012 was unsuccessful, but seismic studies indicated the possibility of oil and gas at deeper strata that were not explored.

Modiin Energy Israeli oil and gas exploration company

Modiin Energy LP is a publicly traded company engaged in oil and gas exploration in Israel. It is listed on the TA MidCap 50 Index as well as on the TA Oil and Gas Index of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The company owns rights to drilling licenses in various locations throughout Israel and in Israel's maritime exclusive economic zone.

Aphrodite gas field

Aphrodite gas field is an offshore gas field off the southern coast of Cyprus located at the exploratory drilling block 12 in the country's maritime Exclusive Economic Zone. and bordering the Yishai gas field, located in Israeli territorial waters. Located 34 kilometres (21 mi) west of Israel's Leviathan gas field, block 12 is believed to hold 3.6 to 6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. In 2014, the reserve estimate for the quantity of natural gas held by Aphrodite was raised by 12% due to new data received from the Yishai prospect as reported by Delek Drilling to the Israel Securities Authority. The cost of the field's development was estimated to range from $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion.

Isramco Negev 2 LP is an American Israeli Limited Partnership that holds interests in oil and gas properties in Israel. The partnership shares are traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and have been a constituent of the TA-25 Index since January 2010. The partnership was founded by Isramco Inc. and other parties in 1989.

The 2013 Israeli Beach Soccer League was a national beach soccer league that took place between 31 May and 26 July 2013, in Netanya, Israel.

The 2016 Israeli Beach Soccer League was a national beach soccer league that took place between 17 June and 29 July 2016, in Netanya, Israel.

Natural gas in Israel

Natural gas in Israel is a primary energy source in Israel, mainly utilized for electricity production and to lesser degree in industry. Israel began producing natural gas from its own offshore gas fields in 2004. Between 2005 and 2012, Israel had imported gas from Egypt via the al-Arish-Ashkelon pipeline, which was terminated due to Egyptian Crisis of 2011-14. As of 2017, Israel produced over 9 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas a year. Israel had 199 billion cubic meters of proven reserves of natural gas as of the start of 2016. In early 2017, Israel began exporting natural gas to the Kingdom of Jordan.

References

  1. 1 2 Enav, Peter (12 September 2004). "Drilling for the future in Israel". Spartanburg Herald-Journal . Jerusalem. Associated Press. p. E7. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Gevaot Olam: Meged 5 Oil Field Has 1.5 Billion Barrels". Arutz Sheva. August 17, 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  3. ↑ "Moses's oily blessing". The Economist . Jerusalem. 16 June 2005. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  4. ↑ Kedmi, Sharon (27 December 2004). "Givot Olam ends stage 1 of Kfar Saba horizontal drill". Haaretz . Retrieved 5 May 2012. Givot Olam holds the license for the Meged site, which stretches over 200 square kilometers in the Sharon area, and holds exclusive drilling rights in the area, in proximity to Kfar Saba and Rosh Ha'ayin.
  5. ↑ Malichi, Asaf (5 March 2007). "American company to invest $50 million in Israeli oil well". Ynetnews . Retrieved 6 May 2012. Findings from Meged confirm the existence of an oil field spanning over 200 square kilometers (50,000 acres).
  6. ↑ Arlozorov, Merav (10 December 1998). "Signs of Oil at Givot Olam - Week Before Rights Issue". Globes . Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  7. ↑ Mosnaim, Ilan (9 April 2003). "Givot Olam to carry out tests at Meged-4". Haaretz . Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  8. ↑ Hayoun, David (31 October 2000). "Givot Olam abandons Meged 3 prospect near Rosh Ha'Ayin: Not enough gas". Globes . Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  9. ↑ Hayoun, David (18 November 2002). "Oil exploration co Givot Olam to invest $6m in Sharon prospect". Globes . Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  10. ↑ Mosnaim, Ilan (24 February 2003). "Company strikes oil near Kfar Saba". Haaretz . Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  11. ↑ Levy, Tal (22 August 2005). "Givot Olam throws in towel at Meged 4; share drops 9 percent". Haaretz . Retrieved 6 May 2012. About 64 barrels of oil were produced during the test, but its flow ceased, and therefore, 'horizontal drilling operations were halted and the equipment will be released.'
  12. ↑ Ben-Israel, Adi; Harman, Uriel (24 December 2009). גבעות דיווחה כי גילתה 'כמויות משמעותיות של נפט' בראש העין [Givot announced that it discovered 'significant quantities of oil' in Rosh Ha'Ayin]. Globes (in Hebrew). Retrieved 6 May 2012. כך, למשל, בדצמבר 2004 הודיעה החברה כי מצאה נפט בקידוח 'מגד 4', אך באוגוסט 2005 מסרה כי הקידוח נגמר ללא תוצאות מסחריות והעבודות שם הופסקו.
  13. ↑ Zano, Lior (24 December 2009). "Israeli company finds oil beneath Rosh Ha'ayin". Haaretz . Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  14. 1 2 Zeno, Lior; Azran, Eran (24 June 2011). "Givot Olam says Meged 5 well producing at 800 barrels a day". TheMarker/Haaretz . Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  15. ↑ Ben-Israel, Adi (24 December 2009). "Photographers turned away from Givot Olam drill site". Globes . Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012. The well is located in an IDF firing zone, and Luskin promised to arrange an entry permit from the IDF.
  16. ↑ globes (20 June 2013). "Givot Olam begins drilling Meged 6 well". Globes . Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  17. ↑ "Givot request to drill 3 new Meged wells rejected". Globes . 8 January 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  18. ↑ Koren, Hillel (30 January 2012). "Energy Ministry approves Meged 6 field development". Globes . Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  19. ↑ Ben Yisrael, Adi (2 June 2010). בעיצומם של מבחני ההפקה: גבעות מכרה 240 חביות נפט לבז"ן [In the course of the extraction tests: Givot sold 240 barrels of oil to BAZAN]. Globes (in Hebrew). Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  20. ↑ "Givot signs $4.4m contract for Meged 5 gas". Globes . 21 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  21. ↑ Shamah, David (25 April 2012). "Oil magnate: Israeli tech can solve the world's energy crisis, if red tape doesn't tie it up". The Times of Israel . Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  22. ↑ Enav, Peter (12 September 2004). "An Israeli seeks oil in a land lacking it". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved 13 June 2014.(subscription required)
  23. ↑ Yisraeli, David (10 June 2011). "Blessings Materialize: Oil Production in Israel". Chabad . Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  24. ↑ Yeshayahou, Koby (12 June 2011). "Chabad article boosts Givot's share price". Globes . Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  25. ↑ Benari, Elad; Kempinsky, Yoni (28 June 2011). "Givot Olam Presents: Drilling for Oil Without Violating Shabbat". Arutz Sheva . Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  26. ↑ "Israel is stealing Palestinian oil and gas". Middle East Monitor. Archived from the original on 27 January 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  27. ↑ Mar'i, Mohammed (13 January 2012). "PA accuses Israel of drilling for oil in West Bank". Arab News . Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  28. ↑ Barkat, Amiram (19 March 2012). "'Givot can meet 10% of Israel's oil consumption'". Globes . Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  29. ↑ גבעות שוב מבהירה: קצב ההפקה הכולל הצפוי מ'מגד 5' - 1,400 חביות ביום [Givot again issues clarification: expected overall rate of production from 'Meged 5' – 1,400 barrels a day]. Nrg Maariv (in Hebrew). 7 March 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  30. ↑ Yeshayahou, Koby (30 January 2011). גבעות: נבצע את ה'פראק' במקטע 8 במהלך השבוע הקרוב [Givot: We will perform 'fracking' at segment 8 next week]. Globes (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2 February 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.