Chevron has resumed supply of natural gas from the offshore Tamar gas field to customers in Israel and the region, it said on Monday, after it was told by Israel’s Energy Ministry to resume production.

Output is expected to reach full capacity within a few days, industry sources said.

Field operator Chevron had been instructed by the ministry to shut the field, a major source of gas to Israel’s power generators and industry, at the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza last month.

Without gas from Tamar, Israel occasionally had to turn to more expensive fuel sources and also diverted some supplies from the Leviathan field, output from which had been earmarked for export to Egypt.

Some of Tamar’s gas is also exported to neighbouring Jordan and Egypt.

Tamar is located about 25 km (15.5 miles) from the city of Ashdod along Israel’s southern Mediterranean coast and is within range of rocket fire from Gaza.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Ron Bousso, Writing by Steven Scheer, Editing by David Goodman)