Matt Hoisch
Even as producers push to expand gas exports from Israel following a decade of dramatic growth that has seen it morph into a key regional supplier, domestic needs remain a priority for the country ahead of its fifth offshore gas exploration round, Israel's Petroleum Commissioner at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, in a recent interview.
"Israel is a developed country, but we're still emerging," Chen Bar-Yosef said. "We think we should have more gas findings and exploration in order to make sure that for the long run we are ready, and we have our sufficiency of supply for all our needs."
Those needs are growing. One burgeoning driver is the artificial intelligence industry.
"Israel is and wants to be part of the AI world," Bar-Yosef said. "We think AI and AI data centers will come to Israel and therefore we want to be ready."
The commissioner was adamant electricity "should come first from renewables" with gas as "complementary."
Even so, annual domestic gas needs are projected to grow over the coming decade from some 14 Bcm to 20-24 Bcm by 2035, he said.
