Israel’s NewMed, former Delek Drilling–the company behind the giant discoveries of gas in the Levant Basin–and Enlight Energy plant to launch a renewable energy “revolution” across the region, highlighting Saudi Arabia and Oman, two countries with which Israel has not normalized relations formally. Two Israeli energy giants have announced plans to jointly develop major renewable energy projects in the MIddle East and North Africa, as the country works to normalize relations with former enemies.
Israel and Egypt, who have gas export agreements already in place, signed another deal with the European Union to increase gas exports to the bloc as an alternative to Russian gas. NewMed and Enlight are planning a lineup of projects across MENA, including solar, wind and energy storage. NewMed is a veteran developer of natural resources, having discovered the giant Tamar and Leviathan gas fields offshore Israel as Delek. Enlight, by contrast, develops and finances clean energy projects globally. Israel’s normalization of relations with MENA countries comes because of its newfound potential for energy independence thanks to massive gas developments in the Mediterranean, which also give it far more leverage for establishing diplomatic ties.