Reuters news agency reported that officials in Turkey and Israel have said that the two sides are discussing behind the scenes the construction of a gas pipeline, to be one of the European alternatives to Russian energy supplies, but this issue will face many obstacles before any agreement can be reached, according to what was reported. Reuters report.
According to Reuters, the idea first appeared years ago, which is to build an undersea pipeline from Turkey to the Leviathan field, one of the largest natural gas fields in the Mediterranean, and then the gas would flow to Turkey and its neighbors in southern Europe who are looking for energy alternatives away from Russia .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that cooperation in the field of gas is "one of the most important steps that we can take together in bilateral relations," adding to reporters that he is ready to send a number of senior ministers to Israel, to revive the idea of a pipeline that has existed for years.
Reuters quoted a senior Turkish official as saying that talks have been continuing between the two sides since Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog visited Ankara earlier this month, and that the coming months may see "concrete decisions" on the proposed path and the participating entities.
conservative approach
But officials in the energy sector are taking a conservative approach to the project, saying that production and geopolitical constraints are factors that may prevent the plan from coming to light.
The Leviathan line already supplies gas to Israel, Jordan and Egypt.
The owners of the field - namely: the American company Chevron and the two Israeli companies Numid Energy and Rachio Oil - intend to increase production from 12 billion cubic meters annually to 21 billion.
By comparison, the European Union imported 155 billion cubic meters of Russian gas last year, covering about 40% of its consumption.
Numid says much of the additional gas production will be liquefied and exported by ship to Europe or the Far East.
The company's chief executive said last month that Turkey could become a destination as well, but that it should invest itself in this plan and commit to building the pipeline.
Asked about the talks, the Leviathan partners declined to comment, according to Reuters.
Israeli Energy Minister Karen Al-Harrar told the Ynet news site - on Sunday - that many matters, including financial matters, have not yet been discussed.