Israel is set to expand its natural gas exports: Shortly after the Israeli government greenlit a proposal to double the amount of gas allowed to be exported, shareholders in the country’s Leviathan gas field — Israel’s largest — announced that they plan to invest up to USD 500 mn to expand production, Reuters reports. The decision will “strengthen diplomatic ties, improve Israel's energy security and bring an added windfall to the economy,” Reuters quotes Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen as having said.

The Egypt angle: The field primarily exports to Egypt and Jordan, with exports from the Leviathan gas field to Egypt reaching 6.3 bcm last year, up 28% from the previous year despite a temporary pause on exports after Israel began its war on Gaza.

Remember: The surprise week-long extension of additional outages this week came as a result of a gas field in a “neighboring country” being offline for a 12-hour period, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Tuesday, without specifying the country.

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