Following the publication in Israel today, the Ministry of Environmental Protection will not renew the emission permit for the polluting steam units at the Eshkol power plant in Ashdod.
This, in light of the pollution and health damage they produce.
The ministry will demand that the current operation of these four power generation units cease in September 2023, as the ministry stipulated in the emission permit.
In addition, the ministry will not approve the operation of these units in 2022 beyond what is required for the survival of the system.
The decision of the Ministry of Environmental Quality came shortly after the Mayor of Ashdod, Dr. Yehiel Lesri, sent a letter to Prime Minister Lapid in which he asked to support the position of the Ministry of Environmental Quality and bring about the closure of the polluting units, this before the promotion of the tender for the sale of the Eshkol power plant.
The power plant in Ashdod, photo: Moshe Shay
In recent months, the Ministry of Energy, the Electricity Authority and the Electric Company have approached the Ministry of Environmental Protection with a request to approve an additional 10,000 operating hours in 2022 for the four converted units at the Eshkol power plant in Ashdod (Kituriot).
At the same time, these parties submitted a request to renew the emission permit of these units, which will expire in September 2023 - the date when all the parties committed that these stations would go out of operation.
The Ashdod municipality claimed that these units operate without air pollution reduction facilities and are among the most polluting in the country.
They work with old technology that does not meet the regulatory requirements of the European Union and the requirements of the Clean Air Act.
These units produce pollution at a level up to 3 times higher than what is allowed in the European Union.
The cost of local air pollution from them is almost 2 times higher compared to the cost of pollution emitted from the Rotenberg coal-fired power plant that operates with facilities to reduce emissions.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection has stated that it will not renew the emission permit for the polluting steam units at the Eshkol power plant in Ashdod, in light of the pollution and health damage they produce, and will demand that the current operation of these 4 power generation units cease in September 2023, as the Ministry stated in the emission permit.
In addition, the ministry will not approve the operation of these units in 2022 beyond what is required for the survival of the system.
The mayor of Ashdod, Dr. Yehiel Lesri, responded that "this is an important achievement shared by the municipality of Ashdod, the Association of Cities for the Environmental Quality of Ashdod-Haval Yavneh and the entire headquarters of the struggle to maintain the air quality in Ashdod.
This is a struggle that has proven that with a combination of hands and uncompromising determination, based on professional facts, it is possible to succeed in the struggle aimed at protecting the environment and the health of the residents, even in the face of government ministries and powerful bodies such as the Ministry of Energy, the Electricity Authority and the Electricity Company.
"We proved that we knew how to set correct and fair goals, and achieve them in the best possible way. I thank the Ministry of Environmental Protection for the professional cooperation, and the high responsibility it demonstrated towards the public health interest of the residents of Ashdod and the surrounding area. And for the willingness to stand firm with the Ministry of Energy, the Electricity Authority and the Electric Company, in order to that in the northern industrial area of Ashdod they will breathe clean air like in other parts of the city."
The CEO of the Association of Cities for Environmental Quality Habel Yavne Ashdod Rumi Ibn Danan responded: "The refusal of the Ministry of Environmental Protection to approve additional hours for the operation of the units about two months ago was the opening shot on the way to the complete closure of these units which cause air pollution in the Ashdod industrial area.
The system manager and the electric company had a lot of time - for 7 years - to create an alternative to the polluting units - in the form of clean and non-polluting energy production.
The writing was already on the wall in 2016.
The office is taking the right step at this time and it will receive our full professional backing for this."
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