Woodside tipped to pay more for smaller piece of Leviathan gasfield SPECULATION is mounting that Woodside Petroleum will agree to pay more than originally expected for a smaller piece of the Leviathan gasfield off Israel, with news of a gas sales agreement from the field further complicating the already protracted negotiation process. US-based Noble Corporation and its Israel-based partners in Leviathan, Delek Drilling, Avner Oil and Ratio Oil, on Monday night announced a $US1.2 billion ($1.3bn) deal to supply gas to the Palestine Power Generation Company over 20 years.