The mega Leviathan gas field offshore Israel is on track to begin production in December, ahead of schedule and below budget, operator Noble Energy said.
The Leviathan project is 96% complete after production decks were installed on the jacket in the third quarter, the company said in its third quarter report.
Full hookup of the platform and living quarters, as well as platform commissioning, continues to progress toward first production in December.
The Leviathan field – holding 33 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of resources in place (22 Tcf recoverable), with potential for more natural gas discoveries as well as large-scale crude oil discoveries at greater depths – is among the world’s largest natural gas finds.
Project spend was more than $30 million under guidance in the third quarter, and total gross capital for the project has been reduced $150 million to $3.6 billion, Noble Energy said.
During the third quarter, Noble Energy and its partners amended sales agreements for the delivery of natural gas from the Leviathan and Tamar fields to Dolphinus Holdings Limited in Egypt. The amended agreements now provide for total combined firm contract quantities of 3 Tcf of natural gas.
