Chevron Mediterranean Limited and state-owned Israel Natural Gas Lines announced Tuesday the signing of a transportation deal to build the Nitzana export route, a project meant to expand natural gas shipments from Israel to Egypt by adding new pipeline and compression capacity. Under the plan, Chevron will construct a compressor station at Ramat Hovav in southern Israel while Israel Natural Gas Lines lays roughly 65 kilometers of pipe to the Nitzana border crossing, enabling up to 600 million cubic feet per day to flow toward Egypt once work is complete.
The companies say construction is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2025 and take about three years, pending regulatory approvals and final agreements. Together with other midstream routes, the added capacity would lift Israel’s total export potential to Egypt to more than 2.2 billion cubic feet per day. The route is intended to help Egypt manage tight domestic supplies after costly liquefied natural gas imports and intermittent production shortfalls.
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza
- Covering Israel, Syria, Lebanon
- More than 100 students
- Exposing fake news
Join us. Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
“This milestone reflects Chevron’s commitment to advancing energy security in Israel and regionally,” said Jack Baker, managing director of Chevron’s Eastern Mediterranean Business Unit. He added, “The Nitzana export route will deliver substantial domestic economic benefits and also support energy security across the Eastern Mediterranean region. We look forward to enhancing our regional partnerships and supplying the energy the region needs for its people to prosper.”
The Nitzana plan complements a recent $35 billion export agreement by Leviathan field partners—Chevron, NewMed, and Ratio Energies—to supply gas to Egypt, where volumes are used both for local consumption and for liquefaction at Idku and Damietta for re-export. Leviathan, discovered in 2010, is Israel’s largest offshore gas reservoir with estimated reserves of about 600 billion cubic meters. In a separate move, Energean has said it plans to send up to 2 billion cubic meters per year from its Katlan field once that project starts up, currently slated for 2027.
The announcement came as Israel’s regional posture and economy remain under pressure from the Gaza war and related diplomatic fallout, factors that could affect timelines and financing.