A Mediterranean gas pipeline carrying natural gas from Israel to Europe could be built by 2025, and it looks like Egypt is being cut out, Reuters reports. European and Israeli governments gave their support to moving forward with the agreement on a 2,000 km-long pipeline that aims to link gas fields off the coasts of Israel and Cyprus with Greece, and possibly Italy, for EUR 6 bn. The plan, as laid out, does not mention any connections from Egypt or to Turkey. The agreement followed a meeting between the energy ministers from Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Italy, with European Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete saying “he believed the project would ‘meet all relevant requirements’ to make financial commitment possible.” One energy executive was skeptical, telling the Financial Times, “I think the industry doesn’t believe in it … The government would be better served growing the domestic market and finding solutions to make gas flow to Egypt, Jordan and Turkey.”

And while we’re on gas, Qatar Petroleum has ended a 12-year moratorium on new gas projects, announcing plans to start a new development in the 2 bcf/d offshore North Field, Bloomberg reports. The moratorium allowed the company to assess how its current rate of extraction affects the giant reservoir it shares with Iran. Production should start in five to seven years, CEO Saad Sherida Al Kaabi said on Monday.