Jordan Blum
At a time when energy companies are positioning themselves for a lower-carbon world by investing heavily in natural gas, it would seem relatively easy to sell them on developing huge reserves of the cleaner-burning fuel. That is, unless those reserves are in the territorial waters of Israel.
Nearly a decade after natural gas was discovered off its coast, Israel is still struggling to enlist foreign firms to explore its vast deposits in the Mediterranean Sea, in part because oil and gas companies are wary of alienating Arab countries in which they have long done business. So far only one foreign company, Houston-based Noble Energy, is operating there. And last year, when Israel launched its first-ever auction of offshore blocks, it attracted just two bidders — a Greek company and a group from India.
This history is what brought Shay Luvshis to Houston. Luvshis, 38, is Israel’s energy consul, sent to Texas to recruit American and international oil and gas companies to explore Israeli waters in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. About year after opening an office, the Energy Ministry’s first outside of Israel, Luvshis says he and other officials have held advanced talks with Exxon Mobil, the French oil major Total and the Australian oil and gas company Woodside Petroleum, among others.
Exxon Mobil and Total declined to comment. Woodside said it regularly reviews opportunities around the world.
“If everything had gone well” in the past, Luvhsis said, “we wouldn’t be here. Israel is the new kid on the block as an emerging energy region.”
Nearly a decade after natural gas was discovered off its coast, Israel is still struggling to enlist foreign firms to explore its vast deposits in the Mediterranean Sea, in part because oil and gas companies are wary of alienating Arab countries in which they have long done business. So far only one foreign company, Houston-based Noble Energy, is operating there. And last year, when Israel launched its first-ever auction of offshore blocks, it attracted just two bidders — a Greek company and a group from India.
This history is what brought Shay Luvshis to Houston. Luvshis, 38, is Israel’s energy consul, sent to Texas to recruit American and international oil and gas companies to explore Israeli waters in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. About year after opening an office, the Energy Ministry’s first outside of Israel, Luvshis says he and other officials have held advanced talks with Exxon Mobil, the French oil major Total and the Australian oil and gas company Woodside Petroleum, among others.
Exxon Mobil and Total declined to comment. Woodside said it regularly reviews opportunities around the world.
“If everything had gone well” in the past, Luvhsis said, “we wouldn’t be here. Israel is the new kid on the block as an emerging energy region.”
