Interview: Opportunity knocks in the East Med
Rony Halman, chairman of Israel Opportunity Energy Resources, explains why the region could be on the verge of something big—but some points of contention remain
These are busy days in the East Med. Egypt has just received its last cargo of imported liquefied natural gas, and now Israel is poised to move forward on a plant to send pipeline gas to its neighbour, after Egyptian and Israeli companies agreed in early October to buy a stake in the Egypt-Israel gas pipeline. Cyprus in mid-September took a bold step towards gas exporter status with the striking of a pipeline deal with Egypt. This will initially send gas from the offshore Aphrodite field, discovered in 2011, to be liquefied at the Damietta and Idku plants. Meanwhile, production is due to start in 2019-20 from Israel's giant Leviathan gasfield. All in all, it makes for an active hydrocarbons
Also in this section
12 December 2025
The latest edition of our annual Outlook publication, titled 'The shape of energy to come: Creating unique pathways and managing shifting alliances', is available now
12 December 2025
The federal government is working with Alberta to improve the country’s access to Asian markets and reduce dependence on the US, but there are challenges to their plans
11 December 2025
The removal of the ban on oil and gas exploration and an overhaul of the system sends all the right messages for energy security, affordability and sustainability
10 December 2025
The economic and environmental cost of the seven-year exploration ban will be felt long after its removal
