2015-01-09
【聯合報╱By STANLEY REED and CLIFFORD KRAUSS╱陳世欽譯】
Instead of Art, Investing in Passports
THE TAMAR PLATFORM, Israel — Alarms rang out across the Tamar natural gas platform off the coast of Israel.
The Israeli N avy had detected signs that a rocket might have been fired by Hamas from the shores of Gaza. As a voice over the loudspeaker warned to take cover, the crew raced up the metal stairs to a small gym that doubles as an air raid shelter. It turned out to be a false alarm.
以色列外海的塔瑪爾天然氣開採平台響起警報。
以國海軍察覺，哈瑪斯可能已自加薩沿岸發射一枚火箭。擴音器警告平台全體工作人員尋求掩護；他們迅速登上金屬階梯，進入兼作空襲掩體的小型健身房。結果這是虛驚一場。
Natural gas is both a geopolitical tool and a target in Israel, where a newfound bonanza of resources has the potential to improve ties with energy-hungry Egypt, Jordan and even the Palestinian Authority. But the key to this diplomatic push is not an Israeli official, a Middle Eastern king or an American ambassador. It is an oil company in Texas.
Noble Energy, the company that runs the Tamar platform and is developing another field nearby called Leviathan, has struck a series of deals in recent months to sell gas from Israel to its neighbors, an export strategy encouraged by the Obama administration to help ease tensions in the region. Both Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have signed preliminary agreements in recent months, while Noble is in talks to supply larger amounts of gas to Egypt.
以色列的天然氣既是地緣政治工具也是目標。新發現的豐富天然資源或可幫助以國，改善與能源極缺的埃及、約旦甚至巴勒斯坦自治政府的關係。然而這種外交進展的關鍵不是某一以國官員、中東國家的國王或美國大使，而是德州的一家石油公司。
諾布爾能源公司經營塔瑪爾平台，且正在開發附近的利維坦天然氣田。它最近數月敲定多項協議，準備把以國天然氣賣給鄰國。歐巴馬政府鼓勵這項出口策略，冀以緩和區域緊張。約旦與巴勒斯坦自治政府已於近數月簽署初步協議，諾布爾正與埃及磋商，準備為埃及供應數量更大的天然氣。
The corporate connection is crucial. As the main negotiator and broker, Noble is giving cover to leaders who could otherwise face political consequences for buying gas in deals directly with the Israeli government.
But officials have said they are concerned that Noble Energy and its Israeli partners have a lock on gas production. Israel’s antitrust commissioner, David Gilo, recently announced that he was considering action to limit the dominance of the consortium, which controls “all the gas reserves on the coast of the state of Israel.”
這種企業連結很重要。諾布爾公司充當主要的談判者兼中間人，為可能因為直接向以國購買天然氣而面臨政治後果的各國領導人提供掩護。
然而以色列官員曾表示，他們擔心諾布爾能源公司與它的以國夥伴壟斷天然氣生產。以國反托辣斯專員吉洛最近表示，有鑑於這個財團控制「以國沿海的全部天然氣蘊藏」，他考慮限縮該公司的獨占地位。
Noble Energy , which completed the development of Tamar last year for $3.5 billion, says that it has found more than 800 billion cubic meters of gas off Israel. The finds would be enough to satisfy current Israeli demand for about a century .
Half of Israel’s electric power now comes from the natural gas that flows through Tamar, making the platform and an onshore processing plant a tempting focus for enemies. Security makes up about half the personnel on the Tamar platform.
諾布爾公司去年斥資35億美元完成塔瑪爾天然氣田的開發。該公司表示已在以國外海發現超過8000億立方公尺天然氣，可滿足以國現有需求約100年。
以國半數電力係以塔瑪爾的天然氣為發電燃料。這使該平台與陸上的一座處理廠成為易遭敵人攻擊的目標。塔瑪爾平台上人員約半數是安全人員。
While Israel’s gas consumption is growing fast, the domestic market is not large enough to fully tap Tamar’s potential, much less develop the much larger Leviathan. So Noble and its Israeli partners have focused on Egypt and Jordan as the nearest, cheapest- to-reach places to export.
The Obama administration has quietly pushed the strategy. As American officials see it, the energy ties could strengthen the fragile peace between Israel and its neighbors, and perhaps offer Europe a way to lessen its dependence on Russia for gas.
“With energy you are talking about something fundamental that really counts,” says Gideon Tadmor, chairman of Delek Drilling, one of Noble’s partners.
以色列天然氣用量增加迅速，單靠國內市場卻無法消化塔瑪爾天然氣田的潛在產能，更無法開發大了許多的利維坦天然氣田，以致諾布爾與其以國夥伴將埃及與約旦視為最近、成本最低的出口市場。
歐巴馬政府悄悄推動這項戰略。美國官員認為，這種能源關係可望強化以色列與鄰國間脆弱的和平，甚至讓歐洲減少對俄羅斯天然氣的依賴。
諾布爾的夥伴迪雷克鑽勘公司董事長塔德莫說：「能源是很重要的基本關鍵。」
While Jordan’s relations with Israel have been tense lately, the country has been a receptive customer . Since 2011, Jordan, like Israel, has had its gas supply disrupted, as militants in Sinai repeatedly attack a major gas pipeline from Egypt.
Industry experts say that Noble will need more long-term commitments to support the expense of Leviathan, which is expected to cost as much as $8 billion for its first phase. The most likely anchor customer is Egypt, which is blocking exports in order to meet high domestic demand and stave off power blackouts.
A move by the regulator to break up the consortium would lead to further delays on Leviathan, which has already proved difficult to develop.
約旦與以色列最近關係緊張，卻是以國天然氣的買家。一如以國，約旦的天然氣供應2011年開始受到干擾。當時，西奈地區的激進分子一再攻擊一條來自埃及的主要天然氣輸送管線。
業界專家說，諾布爾需要更多長期承諾以支應利維坦天然氣田的開支。第一階段開支可能達80億美元，最可能的主要顧客是埃及。埃及政府為了滿足國內的高度需求並防止斷電而禁止天然氣出口。
主管當局強制前述財團分拆將使利維坦天然氣田的開發再度延誤。這片天然氣田已證明很難開發。
Meanwhile, domestic businesses are taking advantage of the new gas. One Israeli company, Dorad Energy, recently built a $1.3 billion gas-fired generating plant near Ashkelon. The plant meets about 10 percent of Israel’s power demand. The company is planning to add another next door.
“My dream is to sell electricity to Egypt, Jordan and even Syria,” said Moshe Cohen, the plant manager, as he showed a visitor the site, including a hole in the street left by a rocket . “Israel has the ability to provide a lot of energy.”
以國國內企業已經開始利用新的天然氣源。以國杜拉德能源公司最近斥資13億美元，在艾希克隆附近興建一座天然氣發電廠，約可滿足以國1/10電力需求。該公司並準備在這座發電廠旁另建一座發電廠。
發電廠經理柯恩帶一名訪客參觀發電廠，指著一枚火箭在街上留下的一個凹洞，說：「我的夢想是，向埃及、約旦甚至敘利亞輸出電力。以色列有能力供應大量能源。」
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