BREAKING NEWS

EMG pipeline company denies participation in Israel, Egypt gas export deal

Three weeks after National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Minister Yuval Steinitz granted his approval for the first deal to export gas from Israel to Egypt, the company whose infrastructure is critical to its realization stressed that it is not party to any such transaction.
The agreement in question involves a 7-year contract signed between Israel's Tamar reservoir partners and Egypt's Dolphinus Holdings Limited in March. Aiming to convey 5 billion cubic meters of gas from Israel to Egypt, the deal calls for employing the now defunct East Mediterranean Gas company pipeline, which used to bring gas in the opposite direction, from Egypt to Israel.
In mid-November, the partners in the neighboring Leviathan reservoir signed a letter of intent with Dolphinus as well, to negotiate the export of as much as 4 billion cubic meters of gas annually for 10-15 years, through the EMG pipeline. EMG has repeatedly denied its involvement in or recognition of either arrangement.
"EMG finds it appropriate to inform you that it is not a party to those reported transactions... and was not included in any negotiations leading to such agreements," Niv Sever, a partner at the Ramat Gan-based M. Firon & Co., and representative of EMG, wrote in a letter to Steinitz on Sunday.
"Furthermore, no discussions are currently being held between EMG, Dolphinus and/or any of the Tamar partners or of the Leviathan partners regarding such transactions and no such negotiations have been held in the past," Sever added.