Int’l Expert: Lebanon’s Offshore Gas Reserves Larger than in “Israel”

An international expert at Spectrum company said Lebanon has high prospects of gas in its offshore Exclusive Economic Zone larger than the amount in Tamar and Leviathan fields off Zionist entity’s Mediterranean shores.

According to Neil Hodgson, there are high chances of detecting large quantities of gas offshore Lebanon, “if all goes well, Lebanon will be able to produce gas by 2019 or 2020.”

The British Spectrum company had unveiled in 2012 that Lebanon’s oil reserves off its southern coast are of the richest and best in the region.

The firm estimated that the volume of gas is around 25 trillion cubic feet.

“The gas reserves in Lebanon amount to more than 30 or 40 trillion cubic feet while that in Tamar field reaches 10 trillion cubic feet and Leviathan 17 trillion cubic feet,” Hodgson said.

Caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil announced earlier in April that Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell and Total are among 46 international oil companies that have been shortlisted to tackle the country’s offshore oil and gas wealth.

Major-General Abdul Rahman Chehaytli, who heads the Lebanese delegation following up Lebanon’s maritime border, expressed regret on Thursday over Lebanon’s failure to resolve the dispute with ‘Israel’. “It is our right,” the official said.

He pointed out that Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam’s cabinet should focus on the matter and tackle it with the international community to attain our rights.