Chevron Shuts Down Natural Gas Platform Near Gaza Strip - The New York Times

Chevron Shuts Down Natural Gas Platform Near Gaza Strip - The New York Times

Chevron Shuts Down Natural Gas Platform Near Gaza Strip

The U.S. energy company temporarily closed operations at its Tamar natural gas field, which is about 12 miles from the Gaza Strip, at Israel’s request.

Chevron, which has substantial natural gas investments in the eastern Mediterranean, said on Monday that it had temporarily shut down operations at one of its major natural gas platforms off Israel’s coast.

The company said it had shut down its Tamar platform, which is about 12 miles from the Gaza Strip, on instructions from Israel’s Ministry of Energy.

It is not the first time that unrest has caused the suspension of operations; during fighting in 2021, the Israeli government instructed Chevron to shut down Tamar.

“Our top priority is the safety of our personnel, the communities in which we operate, the environment and our facilities,” the company said Monday.

It said natural gas customers would continue to be served by another Chevron gas platform, known as Leviathan.

Natural gas fields off the Israeli coast provide fuel to generate about 70 percent of the country’s electric power.

Stanley Reed reports on energy, the environment and the Middle East from London. He has been a journalist for more than four decades. More about Stanley Reed

Our Coverage of the Israel-Gaza War

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched its largest attack on Israeli territory in decades, prompting Israel to retaliate.
A Surprise Attack: After Hamas’s assault,
Israel said it was at war with Gaza, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is being pressured into a major military response, has few good options.
Fear Mounts: Panic and disbelief rippled throughout Israel and Gaza as ordinary citizens
tried to make sense of what was happening. “The children were terrified,” one woman said.
A Change of Strategy: The attack, which revealed significant failures by the Israeli defense establishment,
may change Israel’s overall strategic approach to Hamas and the Gaza Strip.
Biden’s Plan Imperiled: The attack could narrow the chances for President Biden to
negotiate a new alignment in the Middle East by normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
G.O.P. Response: Republican presidential candidates seized on the attack to
try to lay blame on Biden, drawing a connection between it and his hostage release deal with Iran, a longtime backer of Hamas.