7 years on, Tamar natural gas partners make 1st payment to national wealth fund - THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

19 January 2021, 6:11 pm
Sue Surkes 

More than seven years after it started commercial production, the Tamar Partnership has paid its first installment into a sovereign wealth fund aimed at ensuring that some of the profits of Israel’s natural gas bonanza are spent on strategic projects for the nation’s benefit.

The partnership transferred some $15 million at the end of last year, the business daily Calcalist reported Monday, with a further $300 million expected to be paid during 2021, in monthly installments of $25 million.

Now that the payments have started, any future deals the partnership signs will only increase the amount that must be paid into the wealth fund.

On the basis of the idea that Israel’s natural resources belong to all of its citizens, all of the gas companies drilling off the country’s Mediterranean coast are supposed to pay the state 62% on their profits. This is called the government take and includes the wealth fund levy, as well as royalties and corporate taxes, which have been paid all along.

Israel working hard to realize the dreams of its gas industry - CNBC

Israel's annual natural gas demand forecast (in BCM)

5 June 2017

Ferry Biedermann; special to CNBC.com

Israel's energy sector is going through momentous changes due the development of its large offshore natural gas reserve.

Last week, Greek oil and gas company Energean introduced a new element of competition into the country's domestic gas market by signing contracts for its two Israeli fields, and earlier this year the country started exporting gas to neighboring Jordan, albeit in initially small quantities.

There are high hopes that Israel's substantial proven reserves, as well as the likelihood of future finds, will change not only the economy but also the geopolitical situation in the region, with Israel potentially becoming an exporter also to Egypt, Turkey and even to Europe. Yet, a combination of that same geopolitical situation, low natural gas prices, the lack of an export infrastructure and regulatory issues may temper such dreams, say experts.

Israel's gas royalties up 8.5% in 2016 - GLOBES

16 Feb, 2017 7:06
Nati Yefet

Royalties from the Tamar reservoir rose 7%, despite the fall in the price of natural gas.

Natural gas royalties from the Tamar reservoir totaled NIS 819 million in 2016 (Note: €1=3,93 NIS, $1=3,70 NIS), accounting for most of the royalties from natural resources in that year. 2016 natural resources royalties totaled NIS 854 million, up 8.5%, compared with NIS 788 million in 2015. Additional natural gas royalties came from the Yam Tethys (NIS 1.8 million), Meged (NIS 4.7 million), Heletz (NIS 313,000), and Tamrur Cliff (NIS 11,000) gas fields.

According to the Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Resources, royalties from Tamar grew 7%, despite the fall in the price of natural gas. Fees from various projects totaled NIS 5 million.