Israel begins pumping from lucrative Mediterranean gas field

Israel begins pumping from lucrative Mediterranean gas field:

Israel on Tuesday began preliminary pumping of gas from a lucrative field in the Mediterranean Sea to its coastline rig, just days before it is to sign a a major pipeline deal with Greece and Cyprus.

The start of the so-called “flushing process” took place after repeated delays due to legal challenges from wary Israeli residents who remain skeptical of the grandiose project that Israel vows will wean it off coal and revolutionize the economy by turning the country from an energy importer to an unlikely exporter.

Israel’s focus on its newfound gas reserves over the past decade has faced stiff domestic criticism from environmental and social welfare activists. They say the government has been too generous toward the gas tycoons behind the exploration, and that the massive investment has steered resources away from focusing on renewable energy sources.

More recently, local activists have been urging Israel’s Delek Drilling and its U.S. partner, Noble Energy, to move a proposed shoreline treatment gas rig farther out to sea. The activists fear what they call the catastrophic consequences of spreading toxic water and air pollution toward their homes.