20-04-07

Earlier, Israel's National Planning and Building Council approved the plan for a gas pipeline from Egypt to Israel that was initiated by the National Infrastructure Ministry.
The project will involve the transportation of natural gas between Egypt and Israel by means of a pipeline connecting Al-Arish and the Eilat-Ashqelon Pipeline Company's complex in Ashqelon. The undersea pipeline will be located outside the State of Israel's territorial waters, and it will be the first time that a natural gas system will be sited outside the borders of the State of Israel.

"The plan's approval is a waypoint in the field of natural gas supply to Israel," said National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.
"The building of a pipeline system for natural gas in Israel is of national importance. Work on laying the pipeline is proceeding very intensively. I intend to continue to promote this project and bring it to its conclusion according to the timetables that have been fixed."

The National Planning and Building Council also approved the deposition of a plan to build pipelines to convey natural gas to private producers in Rotem and Ramat Hovev. Minister Ben-Eliezer will tour the path of the southern section of the pipeline that will convey natural gas to Israel to examine the progress of work.
The laying of the first part of the southern section was completed recently, and work on the whole section is expected to be completed at the end of 2007.



Source: www.downstreamtoday.com  / BBC Monitoring Middle East