Natural gas has begun flowing in the new pipeline between Ashdod and Sorek. The 22-kilometer section of pipeline connects the natural gas terminal in Ashdod with the natural gas facility in Sorek near Tel Nof. The section, the second on this route, is parallel to the existing line that has been operating since 2007. The budget for the project was NIS 158 million.
The Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Resources said that the Ashdod-Sorek section was one of the most important gas transportation sections, mainly because the gas from the Tamar gas reservoir reaches Ashdod and is sent from there all over Israel. The Ministry added that expanding the pipeline would make it possible to increase the gas transportation capacity to power stations in the south.
In preparation for the expansion of Tamar and the development of additional gas fields - Leviathan, Karish, and Tanin - Israel Natural Gas Lines is planning to lay 160 kilometers of pipeline reaching all over Israel. By the end of 2016, Israel Natural Gas Lines is expected to complete the eastern line, which will be a key artery in the gas transportation system; the line to Jerusalem, where the Yesodot-Mesilot Zion section ends; the line to Palmachim, which will be completed in the coming months; and the line to Nilit, on which construction is about to start.
Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz welcomed the new section, saying, "The new redundancy in the transportation system in preparation for receiving additional quantities of gas from Tamar is of great importance, in view of the increase in natural gas consumption in recent weeks, when the Israeli consumption record was broken three times."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 11, 2015
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