Israel faces upstream reform challenge
A government committee has failed to tackle the root causes of a slump in upstream expansion, argues energy analyst Gina Cohen
In 2013, the Israeli government decided to determine how much of the country's 33 trillion cubic feet of gas would have to remain for local consumption versus the volumes allowed for export. In addition, the decision specified that all export facilities would have to be located in Israeli waters and all fields, regardless of whether the gas was for local consumption or exports, would have to be connected first to the local market. An inter-ministerial committee (the Zemach committee), which had submitted its analysis to the government in a 130-page document, was confident that its recommendations, which were endorsed by the cabinet, would stimulate gas exploration. The 2013 report stipulated
Also in this section
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”
17 February 2026
Siemens Energy has been active in the Kingdom for nearly a century, evolving over that time from a project-based foreign supplier to a locally operating multi-national company with its own domestic supply chain and workforce
17 February 2026
Eni’s chief operating officer for global natural resources, Guido Brusco, takes stock of the company’s key achievements over the past year, and what differentiates its strategy from those of its peers in the LNG sector and beyond
16 February 2026
As the third wave of global LNG arrives, Wood Mackenzie’s director for Europe gas and LNG, Tom Marzec-Manser, discusses with Petroleum Economist the outlook for Europe’s gas market in 2026






