Gas Platforms Leviathan and Karish Shut Down Due to Technical Issues
Overview
The Leviathan and Karish gas platforms have been shut down this morning (Friday), likely due to technical malfunctions. In Israel, there are three gas platforms, with the Tamar platform currently operating partially due to scheduled maintenance upgrades. As a result, more than a third of the electricity in Israel is currently generated using diesel – approximately 3,200 megawatts out of 9,000 megawatts.
Current Energy Production
Typically, diesel is not used for electricity generation as it is more expensive and significantly more polluting compared to natural gas. In addition to the diesel generation, about 1,000 megawatts are produced from coal, with the remainder coming from renewable energy sources and natural gas. While outages for maintenance or technical issues are regular occurrences in gas platforms, the simultaneous shutdown of two platforms, coupled with start undergoing maintenance, is an unusual situation.
Statements from Energy Companies
According to Energean, which operates the Karish platform, “There is a technical issue at the platform that is currently being addressed.” Chevron, which operates both the Leviathan and Tamar platforms, announced that “at approximately 06:45 today, gas production at the Leviathan platform was safely halted for operational reasons. Employees at the Leviathan platform are safe and all relevant authorities have been notified. It is worth noting that due to scheduled maintenance work at the Tamar production facility, gas production from the Tamar reservoir has been temporarily reduced during the maintenance period. Chevron is working safely to resume production at the Leviathan platform as soon as possible.”
Meta Description:
Leviathan and Karish gas platforms shut down due to technical issues, impacting electricity production in Israel. Over a third of electricity now generated from diesel.
Tags:
- Gas Platforms
- Leviathan
- Karish
- Electricity Production
- Maintenance
- Israel Energy
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