Israel Takes Giant Step to Energy Self-Sufficiency

Israel took a major step toward energy self-sufficiency on Saturday when natural gas from the Tamar field, located 56-miles off the northern port city of Haifa in the Mediterranean, began to flow toward the port of Ashdod through a pipeline four years in the making. Officials estimate the field will be sufficient to provide for the nation’s energy needs through the year 2035. The natural gas will gradually replace polluting resources such as diesel and fuel-oil. Consumers hope it will also drive down the cost of fuel. The Tamar field, which was discovered in 2009, is estimated to hold 270 billion cubic meters of gas. A larger field known as Leviathan is also being developed.