Jordan and Israel have confirmed the start of natural gas pumping from the Israeli Leviathan field in the Mediterranean to Jordan.
“The experimental pumping will continue for three-months under the technical and contractual terms between the two sides,” said the statement by NEPCO which was released in state media with no further details.
Israel’s Ynet news agency quoted Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz as saying on Wednesday that Israel's Largest offshore natural gas field is now supplying gas to Jordan.
“Thus, Israel has become an energy exporter for the first time in its history,” Steinitz told Ynet, although Israel's Tamar gas field has been exporting gas to Jordan for the past two years after signing an agreement in 2014.
“It is happening right now at this moment and I am announcing here for the first time that at this moment Israel is becoming a gas exporter to Jordan. Another week, 10 days - to Egypt,” he added.
After a series of delays, natural gas began to flow Tuesday afternoon from Israel's Leviathan rig off the coast of Haifa.
Under the agreement, the US-Israeli consortium will supply Jordan gas for 15 years from the field in the Mediterranean.
The Leviathan partners have already signed major, multi-billion dollar export deals with Egypt which will begin importing Israeli gas by mid-January.
NEPCO struck a $10 billion deal with Noble Energy Inc in 2016.
Israel hopes this offshore field will improve its relations with regional countries and make it a major source of energy, while reducing its dependence on oil.
Leviathan was discovered 130 kilometers west of the Mediterranean port city Haifa in 2010.
