In January 2013, Netgas operated the marine buoy to receive natural gas from offloading LNG ships .
In order to bridge the shortage in the supply of natural gas to Israel, which was caused by the cessation of gas flow from Egypt and delays in the arrival of gas from the drilling in the sea, Nataz, by order of the Minister of Energy and Water, began to plan a new facility for the import of natural gas using a special sea buoy that will be connected to the tanks loaded with LNG.
This system, which exists in only three places in the world, was installed by Netgaz, about ten kilometers west of Hadera’s shores. The system consists of a 10-meter Submerged Turret Loading Buoy, permanently submerged at a depth of twenty-five meters below sea level.
The buoy is connected by huge chains to eight anchors located on the bottom of the sea, spread out hundreds of meters in diameter from it and beyond, and connected to it is a flexible gas pipe with a diameter of fourteen inches and underground systems of faucets and faucets
In order to connect the buoy to the national natural gas transmission system, INGL laid a marine pipeline with a diameter of twenty inches and a length of eight kilometers, extending from the buoy to the marine section of the transmission system, between Ashdod and Dor Beach.
Upon the arrival of an FSRU (Floating Storage & Regasification Unit) LNG tanker, the float is raised and connected to a special opening at the bottom of the ship. After the connection is completed, the tanker performs a gasification process – during which the LNG on board is heated and turns from a liquid accumulation state to a gas. Upon completion of the process, the gas is flowed through the float to the flexible pipe and the national transmission system – straight to the power plants and industrial plants.
Through the marine float, natural gas can be flowed at a rate of up to 590,000 cubic meters per hour. The system, the construction of which cost about NIS 500 million, significantly reduces the use of expensive and polluting fuels such as diesel and fuel oil. The system allows diversification of natural gas supply sources for the country and is an additional gateway to the national transmission system for natural gas during a malfunction and at times of peak consumption of natural gas.
With its activation, the State of Israel joined one of the few countries in the world capable of importing LNG, thus the project contributes to increasing the ability to maintain continuous energy supply to the power plants and industry, and provides Israel with a safety net and infrastructure for energy independence.
