Delek Group is one of the largest and most dynamic investment groups in Israel, whose activities include inter alia Israel’s second largest petroleum company, a major car importer, one of Israel’s biggest real estate companies, oil and gas exploration, IPPs and desalination projects and petroleum activities in the U.S.A. Delek is partner in all of Israel’s major natural gas operations, which include the Yam Tethys project, the Tamar/Dalit project and currently the drilling of the Leviathan project.
Yam Tethys – project which includes Mari-B and Noa fields owned by Noble Energy (47%) and Delek (53%). Mari-B which contained reserves of circa 30 bcm came into production at the end of 2003 and is the only Israeli field supplying the Israeli market to date with contracts to Israel Electric Corporation, the Oil Refineries, Hadera Paper Mills and others. On 31st December 2009 the proved updated reserves in Mari-B were 13 bcm. The Noa field has 6.2 bcm of proven reserves. Currently, the partners are considering developing the field as a tie-back to the Mari-B platform.
Tamar – project includes the Tamar and Dalit fields owned by Noble (36%), Isramco (28.75%), Delek (31.24%) and Dor Gas (4%). Tamar was declared a commercial discovery in January 2009 with proven reserves of 247 bcm and Dalit with 14 bcm. In August 2010, the Ministry approved the partners’ development plans for the Tamar field at a cost about $3.5 billion, consisting of a sub-sea development, initially with 5 wells and construction of a double pipeline from the field to a production platform to be constructed close to the existing Yam Tethys platform and from this platform the gas is to flow into the existing 30 inch pipeline to the Yam Tethys receiving facility in Ashdod. To date the partners have signed a number of MOUs with natural gas consumers but have not concluded any binding GSA agreements. This is mainly due to the establishment of the Sheshinski Committee which is examining the country’s oil and gas fiscal policy with the objective to increase government take. To date there are no development plans for Dalit.
Leviathan – license owned by Noble (39.66%), Delek (45.34%) and Ratio (15%). The well was spudded on 17th October 2010 and notification was given by the operator Noble on 29th November 2010 that it seems that the primary target (NG10 prospect) has natural gas bearing sands. Operations are continuing including electric logs and production tests to determine the extent and quality of the reservoir. Estimated chance of success prior to drilling stood at 50% to discover 16 tcf of natural gas
Export options – currently Israel consumes 5 bcm of gas per annum a figure which is expected to increase to about 10 bcm by 2015. Consumption over the next 20 years is estimated to be about 230 bcm, part of which is met by Egyptian gas. Thus, due to the much higher potential reserves of gas in Israel than needed for local consumption, both Delek and its partners and the government of Israel are looking for export options.
Delek Drilling 2010 Report:
Mari-B 1 P proved reserves = 10.18 bcm and 3 P = 11.43 bcm
Noa + Noa South = 1 C contingent resources = 3.26 bcm (Noa has 2.19 & Noa South1.067) and 3C = 3.76 bcm (Noa has 2.5 bcm and Noa South 1.15 bcm)
Tamar 1 C 183.49 bcm and 3C 294.58 bcm
Dalit 1 C 6.14 bcm contingent resources + 6.01 bcm prospective resources
3C 9.48 bcm + 9.46 bcm
Leviathan 1C 321 bcm and 3C 596.95 bcm