Leviathan will not wait for Woodside

Woodside Petroleum’s US partner has said it will not wait to develop the Leviathan gas venture and that production will begin with or without Woodside, The Australian Financial Review reports.

“We would like to have them as a partner as a part of this project,” Chuck Davidson, chief executive of Noble Energy told investors on Friday, according to the newspaper.

“But right now, with all of the other things that have been cleared out, we and our existing partners are moving forward, and we’re starting to take steps to make sure that we can deliver this project.”

The AFR reports Woodside missed its deadline of March 27 to finalise its purchase of a 25% stake in the 19 trillion cubic feet Leviathan gas field off the Israeli coast.