From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Energy Ministry announces new competition for gas exploration licenses
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
The Energy Ministry announces the fourth competition in six years for licenses to explore for gas off Israel’s Mediterranean coast.
The parcels will be at least 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the shore, in line with an environmental assessment the ministry says it has carried out.
Licenses will be conditioned on respect for natural habitats in the area. Activities such as drilling will require an environmental survey, a marine emissions permit, a toxins permit and approval of an emergency plan for marine spills, a ministry statement says.
It explains that additional discoveries of natural gas will lead to more competition and the lowering of electricity prices while enabling sales to customers such as the European Union, which is suffering supply problems because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel calls the move “delusional and disconnected from reality,” saying that most of the world is trying to wean itself off of fossil fuels and move to renewable energy sources that are safer and better for the climate, the environment, and national security.
The Times of Israel Community.