Natural gas flow to Israel restored after Leviathan platform fault

The flow of natural gas to Israel from the offshore Leviathan platform recommenced on Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Energy said, following an overnight power outage and fault that halted operations for several hours.

The fault required all natural gas to be emptied from the platform, burning it off via the platform’s flare boom to prevent the emission of gas into the air. The ministry rejected rumors of an explosion at the platform after photos taken by nearby residents showed the disposal process lighting up the night sky.

“Overnight, there was a power outage at the platform and a fault that required the natural gas to be emptied from the platform,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the burning of natural gas is the standard procedure in such an event. “It should be emphasized that there was no explosion at the platform. The ministry will investigate the incident with [operator] Noble Energy and update the public on the results.”

Gas flow between the offshore platform, located 10 km. from the country’s northern coast, and Israel was halted from 3:25 a.m. and recommenced at 7:45 a.m. The Ministry of Environmental Protection said no unusual readings were identified by its air quality monitoring stations opposite the platform, but would carry out a review of the incident and publish the findings.

Environmental group Homeland Guards, which has spearheaded opposition to the platform, reported that residents from the Carmel Coast area were awoken by “a fierce explosion that shook their homes” shortly before 4 a.m.

“The operation of the platform is a series of continuous faults,” said Homeland Guards activist Tal Gonen. “According to the Environment Ministry’s guidelines, any fault requiring operation of the flare boom demands a detailed investigation and report. Meanwhile, despite the countless activations of the flare boom, we have not seen one report.”

In a statement, platform operator Noble Energy said a power outage had occurred overnight, requiring natural gas to be transferred to the boom flare designed for such events.

“No other explosion or exceptional incident occurred,” the Texas-headquartered company said. “After testing the integrity of all systems, gas production was resumed.”

Despite opposition from residents of northern Israel and environmental campaigners, the offshore platform commenced full operations on January 6, supplying natural gas to the Israeli market, and to neighbors Egypt and Jordan under two lucrative, long-term deals.

The Leviathan reservoir, one of the largest natural gas fields discovered worldwide in the last decade, is thought to contain up to 605 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas, equivalent to 65 years of domestic gas consumption.