UPI: Lure of Israel's gas may dampen Turkish ire

Israel is on the cusp of becoming a natural gas exporter and key energy power in the Middle East, a move that could produce significant geopolitical changes in a region beset by turmoil.

That includes a new alliance with Turkey, which seems to be moving toward setting aside its political differences with the Jewish state, just as it is doing with Iraq's oil-rich Kurds, in the interest of achieving its ambition to become the main energy broker in the region.

Israel is now considering its options for exporting gas from its Tamar field, which began production March 30, and the larger but still undeveloped Leviathan field, which is due to come onstream in 2015.

Between them these fields contain an estimated 30 trillion cubic feet of gas. Israel has set aside 40 percent of its gas production for export, expected to earn $50 billion in the next 20 years.

A pipeline under the eastern Mediterranean from Leviathan, which contains an estimated 16 tcf of gas, to Turkey is one of the more ambitious options.

If it comes off it could pump 105.9 billion cubic feet of gas a year to Turkey, which has no energy resources.  MORE