By SHARON UDASINIsraeli natural gas field in the Mediterranean(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
In preparation for the development of the country’s Leviathan reservoir, Israel’s natural gas transmission system has received a 30% boost in capacity.Energy officials launched the country’s largest gas pipeline on Tuesday – the “Eastern Line” – which will serve as a two-way artery for the transportation of gas from Ramle to the northern community of Elyakim. The pipeline will enable the connection of new customers along the pipeline to gas, as well as facilitate the flow of gas from the Leviathan reservoir to the local market in the future, officials said.The 613-billion cubic meter Leviathan basin, located about 130 km. west of Haifa, is expected to begin supplying gas to Israel by the end of 2019.Up until the inauguration of the Eastern Line, another pipeline called “Sea Line” had served as the single artery for gas flow from Ashdod to the North and the Haifa Bay region.“We are interconnecting the State of Israel lengthwise and widthwise, improving and expanding natural gas transmission throughout the country,” National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Minister Yuval Steinitz said. “This way, we will reach more consumers and connect more factories, so that costs will be reduced and will breathe cleaner air. We are in the midst of a natural gas revolution in Israel, and we will all benefit from it.”