An update issued by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure regarding the expected demand for raw materials in the construction and paving industry states that there is an expected significant lack of raw materials for construction by 2040;
This update, which is carried out once every five years, is based on the government's strategic plans for housing, roads, transportation, etc., and from it, as mentioned, it emerges that until 2040 the projected demand for raw materials is estimated at about 1.69 billion tons, about 170 million tons more than the previous forecast from 2017, in which the demand for the current period stands at about 1.52 tons.
This lack even worsens radically in a demand forecast in a state of growth, according to which the demand until 2040 is estimated at about 2.08 billion tons, about 360 million tons more than the previous forecast.
The current update was carried out by the company A. Hefetz & Co. For the purpose of illustration, the demand for quarrying and mining materials in a growth scenario is equal to the amount of material that would be obtained if they dug up the entire area of the city of Tel Aviv, which covers approximately 52 square kilometers, approximately 20 meters.
A gloomy forecast for the construction industry (Photo: ShutterStock)
In 2017, the National Planning and Construction Council approved a national outline plan for mining and quarrying - TMA 14 B, which marked sites at an outline level for mining and quarrying that are supposed to ensure the reserves of raw materials for the construction and paving industry until the year 2040. The demand forecast on the basis of which the various sites were marked and determined is
from 2009. The implication derived from this is that TMA 14 B is not able to respond to all the demands in the economy, and considering the current slim chances of approving the marking of new sites in TMA in the demand areas, the accompanying meaning is a severe shortage of raw materials for construction.
What to do?
The steps recommended by the Ministry of Energy:
Following the renewed review, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure recommends a number of steps, among which, government commitment to promote the planning of the mining and quarrying sites in TMA 14 B, including planning the establishment of unloading sites for quarrying materials through rail transportation in the demand areas. Today, the promotion of the planning is met with NIMBY objections
( Not In My Back Yard). The planning of the sites could help increase the reserves available in the various quarries. Additional steps required are the comprehensive regulation, in cooperation with the Civil Administration, of the activity of Yosh quarries, both on private land and on state land, including solutions regarding physical limitations of crossings The raw materials and the possibility of their ongoing functioning.
Also, requiring contractors to perform source separation of construction waste and establishing quality control processes that can ensure the use of recycled materials as a substitute for natural quarry materials.
In addition, the ministry raises the need to encourage and remove barriers to encourage the import of quarrying materials through land border crossings and through seaports, including through the coal docks after the conversion of the "Orot Rabin" and "Rotenberg" power plants to use natural gas, which will enable dual use of the docks for the benefit of importing aggregates.
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A gloomy forecast for the construction industry (Photo: ShutterStock)
From the economic and physical feasibility analysis of importing quarrying materials to Israel carried out by the Ministry in 2022, it appears that importing quarrying materials by land from Egypt or Jordan is economically feasible, while importing quarrying materials by sea is substantially more expensive than importing by land.
Since constraints and costs may arise due to security reasons or political difficulties, it is necessary to examine and present a wider range of options for sources for the import of quarry materials.
The continued physical development of the State of Israel requires functional continuity of the supply of quarrying materials to the construction and paving industry.
The reserves of raw materials in these areas are depleting and therefore many quarries are closing.
If these steps are not implemented, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure warns, the State of Israel must prepare for a severe shortage of quarrying materials, which will seriously damage its independent functioning.
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