The import project would cost an estimated $300 million, and that’s before any gas is purchased; planners intend to have it live by the end of 2012.
By Avi Bar-Eli

Israel has been planning to set up infrastructure for importing liquid natural gas and the explosion along the Egypt pipeline may kick-start that.

On Thursday, National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau decided to set up a floating platform off the Hadera shoreline to receive liquefied gas and turn it back into its gaseous form.

The project would cost an estimated $300 million, and that’s before any gas is purchased. Planners intend to have it live by the end of 2012.

The social-economic cabinet decided to launch a tender to set up such a plant at the beginning of 2008. The massive gas discoveries off Israel’s coast took some momentum out of the plans.

While the Tamar reserve alone is said to hold enough gas to supply Israel for 20 years, being able to use liquefied gas would enable the country to buy it at spot prices, and not just through long-term contracts. It would mean that the local gas companies would not have a monopoly over the Israeli market, and would have less freedom to control prices.

The floating platform would accept gas from a ship anchored nearby, and transport it to shore via a pipeline.

http://english.themarker.com/plans-to-import-liquid-gas-get-push-1.341492