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U.S., Israel seek expanded energy ties

U.S. State Department in the past helped facilitate Israeli natural gas deals.

By Daniel J. Graeber
U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz (L) signs amendments to energy agreements in Washington with his Israeli counterpart, Yuval Steinitz. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Energy Department.
U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz (L) signs amendments to energy agreements in Washington with his Israeli counterpart, Yuval Steinitz. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Energy Department.

WASHINGTON, April 5 (UPI) -- The Israeli government is certain the broad-based energy relationship with the United States will continue, the nation's energy minister said from Washington, D.C.

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz hosted Israeli Energy and Water Resources Minister Yuval Steinitz in Washington to discuss infrastructure and other sector-wide issues. Among other topics, both sides signed amendments to existing agreements related to the exploration, production and distribution of natural gas.

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"I am certain that cooperation in the energy sector will expand in the years to come," Steinitz said in a statement.

Noble Energy, a U.S. company, is working alongside Israel's Delek Group in developing the Leviathan and Tamar natural gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea. The U.S. State Department facilitated gas delivery talks between the developers and Jordanian power companies.

Noble is the only U.S. partner working in Israeli waters. Combined, the two fields represent some of the largest regional gas deposits in the world with an estimated 28 trillion cubic feet of reserves.

In 2014, Israeli economic officials said from Houston that U.S. companies "might find gold" in the form of natural gas through partnerships in Israel. Speaking alongside the Israeli minister, Moniz said both sides were committed to ongoing cooperation in the energy sphere.

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"The U.S. and Israel will continue to foster research and development, drive down the costs of clean energy technologies and encourage collaboration between our nations' top energy scientists," he said.

The Israeli government in December signed off on the regulatory framework necessary to develop the reserves off the coast of Israeli. The Israeli Supreme Court last month ruled a deal between Noble, its partners and the Israeli was unconstitutional, a ruling consistent with past concerns about competition.

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