Israel is launching a new offshore push for natural gas, opening five exploration blocks across roughly 7,100 square kilometers of its economic waters as the country looks to deepen its role as an Eastern Mediterranean energy power.

Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen said the new competitive process is aimed at finding additional gas reserves that could strengthen Israel’s domestic energy supply, increase competition, lower electricity costs, and expand exports. Ministry estimates suggest hundreds of billions of cubic meters of natural gas may still be undiscovered in Israel’s exclusive economic zone.

The move comes as Israeli gas has become a major strategic asset, not just an economic one. Israel already supplies its own market from offshore fields including Tamar and Leviathan, while exporting significant volumes to Egypt and Jordan. Reuters reported that the new tender is expected to unfold in three phases and take about a year, with Chevron allowed to bid as part of a consortium.

Israel recently approved its largest-ever gas export deal with Egypt, valued at about $35 billion, covering roughly 130 billion cubic meters of gas from the Leviathan field through 2040. That agreement strengthens Israel’s position as a regional energy anchor at a time when Egypt is facing pressure from declining domestic gas output and rising demand.

Israel’s Energy Ministry is also moving ahead with a major electricity infrastructure plan, a roughly 150-kilometer power cable from the Ashkelon area to the Haifa area, including about 102 kilometers underwater. The cable is intended to move electricity from the south, where much of Israel’s solar and power-generation infrastructure is concentrated, toward the center of the country, where demand is highest.

The planned cable could transmit up to 5.4 gigawatts of electricity and include six connection points to the national grid, with a possible future link toward Europe. For Israel, the message is clear, energy is not just about cheaper power bills. It is about resilience, export leverage, regional influence, and making the Jewish state harder to pressure.