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A Potential Turkey-Israel Pipeline Project




An energy pipeline project under consideration could help Turkey and Israel renew their partnership after years of strain. The 450-kilometer (280-mile) subsea pipeline would be the Middle East's most ambitious native pipeline, stretching from Israel's offshore Leviathan field, 130 kilometers west of Haifa, to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The pipeline would run from a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) ship before heading northeast at an average depth of 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) along the Cypriot coastline. With a capacity of 16 billion cubic meters, the initiative has been lauded as a way to enable Turkish (and eventually European) energy diversification away from Moscow. According to energy holding firm Turcas Petrol, one of the companies to place a bid on the project, the total cost would be around $2.25 billion. In essence, the Leviathan pipeline would require an operating depth rivaled only by major international initiatives such as Medgaz, South Stream and Blue Stream, and the cost incurred to produce energy would be among the highest in the world. This in turn would require a highly experienced international energy firm to develop the necessary infrastructure.

Yet the technical obstacles are only compounded by the political constraints; few major corporations will be willing to take on the risks of a project in the politically charged environment of the Eastern Mediterranean. The ideal route for an Israeli-Turkish pipeline would move along the Levantine coastline, either onshore or through the shallower seabed, both of which would significantly reduce operating and construction costs. However, this would require the pipeline to travel through Lebanese and Syrian territory, where political and security risks would lead to frequent disruptions. Damascus and Beirut have also expressed open hostility to this option. This leaves the only alternative route traveling through Cypriot waters, which requires Nicosia's approval -- and thus, a Turkish-Cypriot diplomatic rapprochement. Cyprus has repeatedly said that it would not sign off on the pipeline until Turkey, which is the sole international backer of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized the existence of the Republic of Cyprus and moved to end the island's 40-year division. Resolving one of the region's most intractable and polarizing conflicts will require a good deal of time and energy, leaving the project's 2017 planned operating date doubtful at best. While political and technical obstacles may place the Leviathan-Turkey pipeline out of reach, the project's short-term significance lies in the political gap it could bridge between the former allies.

Comments

  1. Israel HotelsOctober 31, 2018 at 11:43 PM

    This was a great news about Leviathan field. In this blog I found lot of information on leviathan gas field. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete

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