The Leviathan gas field located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel is among the largest offshore natural gas reservoirs in the world.
When the field was discovered four years ago, Israel’s infrastructure minister called it “the most important energy news since the founding of the state.”
The field holds an estimated 19 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas, enough to meet Israel’s gas needs for a quarter of a century.
Leviathan is so immense that it’s also turning Israel into a gas exporter.
On Monday, news broke that Leviathan’s lead driller signed a non-binding letter of intent to supply roughly 700 million cubic feet (mcf) of natural gas per day to a gas liquefaction facility in Egypt – for the next 15 years!
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It’s a colossal deal estimated to be worth $30 billion.
Since it’s expected that the final agreement will be completed by the end of 2014, now is the perfect time to buy shares of this driller.
Leviathan’s lead driller, with a 39.66% interest, is Houston-based Noble Energy (NBL).
When the deal becomes official, over the next 15 years, Noble will send a total of 3.75 tcf of natural gas to an LNG facility in Idku, Egypt owned and operated by the UK’s BG Group.
Delivery of the natural gas to BG is expected to flow through a new subsea pipeline, according to Noble.
It’s all part of what Noble’s management is referring to as “Phase one” of a massive drilling campaign.
According to Keith Elliott, Noble’s Senior VP for the Eastern Mediterranean…
“Phase one of the Leviathan project is designed to provide significant quantities of natural gas to Israel and regional markets… This transaction, in combination with regional cooperation, will also provide access for Eastern Mediterranean gas into global markets.”
A final gas purchase and sales agreement will be negotiated and subject to regulatory approvals in Israel and Egypt.
I have no reason to believe this deal won’t be final by the end of the year.
Even better, the stock is experiencing some good-natured profit-taking on the news, and the drop in price just created a perfect entry point.
Expect shares to resume their upward trajectory by lunchtime tomorrow.
Onward and Upward,
Robert Williams
Founder, Wall Street Daily
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Original Article: Noble Energy’s $30-Billion LNG Deal
