Worthy Christian News » Israel-Palestinian Conflict »
Leviathan natural gas field development gets approval from Israel's agency for environmental protection
by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - The Israeli Environmental Protection Ministry gave the go-ahead for production on what is soon to be Israel's largest natural gas deposit, after a season of tests and protests by activists halted the development of the field.
The Leviathan natural gas field, 77 miles off the coast of Haifa in the north of Israel, is estimated to contain 22 trillion cubic feet of salvageable natural gas, and is expected to yield half a million barrels of oil once developers begin work there.
Delek Drilling, which along with the Texan Noble Energy is slated to cultivate the deposit, said in a statement Friday that it had been cleared by the environmental agency and would begin developing the field on Tuesday, December 31st.
Activists had earlier promised to organize mass evacuations from the Haifa metropolitan area and lead a march on Tel Aviv if tests seeking to determine the viability of the field released harmful pollutants into surrounding communities.