Chevron Corp has resumed regular production at the Leviathan gas and condensate field in Mediterranean waters off Israel’s coast, weeks after declaring force majeure because of the ongoing war with Iran.

NewMed Energy LP, one of Chevron’s Israeli partners in the Leviathan consortium, announced the resumption last week, saying the suspension of flows lasted 33 days.

NewMed said in a stock filing it “intends to examine the possibility of receiving compensation from the State in connection with the suspension of gas production”.

It does not expect the suspension to have “a material impact” on its cash flows for 2026.

Acting on a “security recommendation”, Israel’s energy and infrastructure minister on February 28 asked operator Chevron to suspend operations at the Leviathan platform until further notice, according to NewMed.

Just a day after confirming the production pause, NewMed said the consortium had completed the construction of a third pipeline from the field to its production platform. The project also delivered platform upgrades, raising Leviathan’s gas production capacity to around 14 billion cubic meters a year, NewMed said.

Construction of the third gathering pipeline, part of Leviathan’s initial phase (Phase 1A), had been delayed by the earlier conflict that followed Hamas’ assault on Israel October 2023. NewMed announced the suspension of construction October 2024. The consortium had planned to complete the pipeline mid-2025.

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Leviathan gas is piped to the domestic market, Egypt and Jordan. The field sold 10.8 billion cubic meters (381.4 billion cubic feet) last year, according to NewMed’s annual report.

Chevron operates Leviathan with a 39.66 percent stake through Chevron Mediterranean Ltd. NewMed, owned by Israel’s Delek Group, owns 45.34 percent. Ratio Energies LP, also an Israeli company, holds 15 percent.

Leviathan, discovered 2010 off the coast of Haifa city, started production December 2019 under Phase 1A, according to NewMed.

NewMed did not say whether the ongoing war would derail plans for Phase 1B’s stage 1, for which the consortium adopted a final investment decision worth $2.36 billion last January.

Expected to start operation in the second half of 2029, the first stage of the Phase 1B project aims to increase capacity to about 21 billion cubic meters a year, according to NewMed. NewMed already announced August 2025 Israel’s Energy and Infrastructures Ministry had approved Phase 1B.

Announcing the FID for Phae 1B stage 1, NewMed also said all conditions for the entry into force of an amended agreement signed 2025 between the Leviathan consortium and their current customer Blue Ocean Energy had been fulfilled. The new deal, announced by NewMed August 2025, raises gas exports to Egypt by a total volume of 130 Bcm.

In December 2025 NewMed Energy said the consortium had received approval from Israel’s Energy and Infrastructures Ministry for the increased gas exports to Egypt.

To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com


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