以色列放宽天然气招标条件吸引能源巨头

据彭博社3月4日消息称，以色列正在放宽新的天然气勘探招标的条件，以吸引大型要能源公司在该国地中海沿岸进行钻探。

能源部长Yuval Steinitz耶路撒冷办公室接受采访时说，可供竞标的有五个近海钻探地点，规模比上一轮招标要大。他说，该部还提供了更灵活的钻探时间表，并提供了额外的地质信息。

Steinitz表示，一些大公司正在“积极调查”招标程序。他拒绝透露对该过程感兴趣的公司，这是该国能源行业发展的重要一步。这位部长表示，以色列将于6月公布招标结果。

Steinitz表示：“很明显，以色列可以向其阿拉伯邻国出口天然气，埃及和约旦已经在购买以色列天然气。不仅如此，他们还愿意与我们合作，向欧洲等主要市场出口产品。欧盟一再告诉我们，他们想从地中海东部进口天然气。”

以色列吸引主要勘探商的程度，可以作为其天然气开发前景的晴雨表。到2025年，以色列国内天然气需求预计将增长约70%，达到每年205亿立方米。开发以色列两个最大天然气储藏的合作伙伴已经与埃及和约旦签署了重要的出口合同，证明在这个动荡地区达成跨境协议是可能的。

地区政府正在制定一项雄心勃勃的计划，整合资源，向南欧出口。这些设计取决于进一步的发现，这可能意味着以色列可能只扮演一个小角色，或者如果他们不能赢得新的钻探者，就完全被排除在外。

Tamuz集团首席执行官Nati Birenboim表示，鉴于当地需求的预期激增，再加上近期埃及和塞浦路斯的发现，以色列的新招标“变得具有吸引力，特别是对国际石油和天然气公司而言，” Tamuz为全球企业在以色列的大型基础设施项目提供咨询服务。

斯坦尼茨相信这次他会比上次的投标做得更好。上次的投标经历了几次延迟，只收到两份投标。自从去年颁发许可证以来，就没有钻探过。

曹海斌   摘译自   彭博社

原文如下：

Israel Woos Energy Majors With Modified Gas Exploration Tender

Israel is sweetening the terms of its new gas exploration tender in order to entice major energy firms to drill off the nation’s Mediterranean coast.

Up for grabs are five offshore drilling sites, which are bigger than in the previous bidding round, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said in an interview in his Jerusalem office. The ministry also offered more flexible drilling timetables and is providing additional geological information, he said.

A number of major companies are “actively investigating” the bidding procedure, Steinitz said. He declined to identify the firms interested in the process, which is an important step in the development of the country’s energy industry. Israel will announce the tender results in June, the minister said.

“It’s become clear that Israel can export natural gas to its Arab neighbors,” Steinitz said. “Egypt and Jordan are already buying Israeli natural gas. More than that -- they are willing to collaborate with us in exporting to major markets like Europe. The European Union repeatedly tells us that they want to import natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean.”

How well Israel attracts major explorers serves as a barometer of the outlook for its budding natural gas effort. Domestic demand for gas is expected to jump about 70 percent to 20.5 billion cubic meters per year by 2025 and the partners developing Israel’s two largest reservoirs have signed major export contracts with Egypt and Jordan, proving cross-border deals are possible in a volatile area.

Regional governments are now preparing an ambitious plan that will combine resources for export to southern Europe. Those designs hinge on further discoveries, which could mean that Israel may only play a small role or be left out entirely if they don’t manage to win over new drillers.

Given the expected surge in local demand, combined with recent discoveries in nearby Egypt and Cyprus, Israel’s new tender is “becoming attractive, especially for international oil and gas companies,” said Nati Birenboim, CEO of Tamuz Group, which advises global firms on large infrastructure projects in Israel.

Steinitz is banking this time he’ll do better than the previous tender, which endured several delays and saw only two bids. There has been no drilling in the permits since they were awarded last year.