Tamar Gas Field
The Discovery That Opened the Basin
Drilled in January 2009, Tamar was the well that proved the Eastern Mediterranean holds world-class gas. It powered Israel's electricity grid for a decade, and its 'Tamar sands' play is the same geology that later yielded Leviathan, Aphrodite, Glaucus and Pegasus.
Overview
In January 2009 Noble Energy's Tamar-1 well, drilled about 90 km west of Haifa in roughly 1,700 m of water, found around 10–11 trillion cubic feet of gas in Oligocene–Miocene deepwater sandstones. It was at the time the largest deepwater gas discovery in the world for that year — and, more importantly, the first proof that the Levantine Basin was a serious hydrocarbon province at all.
Everything that followed traces to Tamar. The reservoir play it proved — biogenic gas in turbidite sands sealed beneath Messinian salt, now known simply as the "Tamar sands" — is the same geology that yielded Leviathan (2010), Cyprus's Aphrodite (2011), and later the Glaucus–Pegasus hub in Block 10.
Production began in March 2013 through subsea wells tied back to a platform off Ashkelon, and for years Tamar carried the bulk of Israeli power generation. Chevron became operator with its 2020 acquisition of Noble Energy; today the partnership includes Isramco, Mubadala Energy and other holders following several stake sales.
Updated July 2026 · Sources: Chevron, NewMed Energy, NS Energy
Role Today
With Leviathan and Karish now carrying the domestic load, Tamar's role has shifted toward exports: the field supplies gas to Egypt under long-term agreements alongside its Israeli commitments, and its partners have sanctioned expansion work to lift capacity toward the mid-2020s demand from Egyptian LNG plants.
For Cyprus watchers, Tamar remains the reference case: a deepwater Levantine Basin field developed by subsea tie-back, monetized first at home and then through Egypt — the same playbook, step for step, that Cronos and Aphrodite are following fifteen years later.
Updated July 2026 · Sources: Chevron, trade press
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the Tamar gas field?
Tamar holds roughly 10–11.2 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas in Oligocene–Miocene sandstone reservoirs, about 90 km west of Haifa in ~1,700 m of water. It was discovered by Noble Energy in January 2009.
Why was Tamar so important?
Tamar was the basin-opening discovery of the Eastern Mediterranean: the first proof that the Levantine Basin holds world-class gas. The "Tamar sands" play it established is the same geology behind Leviathan, Aphrodite and the Cyprus Block 10 fields.
Who operates Tamar?
Chevron has operated Tamar since acquiring Noble Energy in 2020, in partnership with Isramco, Mubadala Energy and other stakeholders. Production started in March 2013 via a platform offshore Ashkelon.