Israeli government has ordered Chevron’s subsidiary Chevron Mediterranean to halt production at its operated Leviathan offshore natural gas project amid security concerns related to the escalation of conflict with Iran.
The Minister of Energy and Infrastructures of Israel issued a notice Chevron Mediterranean to halt the Leviathan platform’s operation until further notice.
Chevron Mediterranean operates the Leviathan project with 39.66% working interest, together with partners NewMed Energy with 45.34% and Ration Energies with 15.00% stakes.
“The partnership shall report on resumption of production in accordance with the Minister’s instructions as aforesaid,” NewMed Energy said.
Leviathan, with 22.9 tcf of recoverable gas, is the largest natural gas reservoir in the Mediterranean, and one of the largest producing assets in the region.
The reservoir was discovered in December 2010 by NewMed Energy.
In February 2017, after intensive evaluation of the 330 sqkm field, the Leviathan partners took a final investment decision on executing Phase 1A of the field's development plan, with an annual production capacity of 12 bcm.
Production of natural gas from Leviathan began on December 31, 2019, and since has become a cornerstone of gas supply in Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
The Leviathan Field is located in the Israeli EEZ, approximately 130 km off the shores of Haifa.
Production is facilitated by four subsea wells that are connected, via a subsea manifold and two 120 km long pipelines, to an offshore platform, where all processing of gas takes place.
From the platform the gas is piped to shore into the Israeli national grid, through which it is distributed to clients in Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
With nearly 0.7 tcf produced by end of 2021, Phase 1A of the field’s development has proved a resounding success on many fronts, most importantly in establishing a reliable and formidable natural gas supply source to the countries of the region.
In February 2025, the partners in the Leviathan project submitted a multi-billion-dollar plan to the Israeli government to significantly expand the field and boost production.
The plan entails the drilling of three additional production wells, more undersea systems and expansion of processing facilities on the platform that will increase total gas production capacity to 21 billion cubic meters (bcm) a year and cost an estimated $2.4 billion.