Cabinet approves new power plant in south
Motion against plan by former environmental protection minister Erdan rejected; locals oppose plan, citing health hazards
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The cabinet on Sunday approved the construction of a new power plant in the Be’er Tuvia Regional Council industrial zone in southern Israel.
The vote was passed with a wide majority at the weekly cabinet meeting, after a motion by MK Gilad Erdan, the former environmental protection minister, against the bill was rejected.
The plant will be built by IPM Be’er Tuvia Power Plant Ltd, an independent company, and will use combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) technology.
“The power plant will supply all electricity and energy consumption of different consumers at the Be’er Tuvia industrial zone. Any surplus electricity will be sold to other electricity consumers via the IEC [Israel Electric Corporation] grid,” the company wrote on its website.
Locals have been opposed to the plan for several years, concerned that a plant so near residential homes would pose a danger to residents.
A risk assessment of the installation process prepared in 2010 by Dr. Yisrael Barzilai, the former head of the hazardous materials division at the Environmental Protection Ministry, warned against the construction of the plant.
“This is an area where there are factories that store the hazardous material ammonia,” Barzilai told the Haaretz daily. “A leak of such a substance would cause a toxic cloud. Moreover, there is concern about malfunctions in the power station itself.”
“In my opinion, it is absurd to build a gas plant in a place like this, where there are already factories with hazardous materials and a population of hundreds of thousands,” added Barzilai.
The struggle against the proposed plant began in 2009, when the developers began the approval process in the National Infrastructures Committee.
The Times of Israel Community.