Battle of versions: The Israeli government is expected to approve today the construction of two power plants for the production of electricity using gas. The decision, which is ostensibly supposed to solve the electricity shortage in the future, is received with mixed feelings among many parties concerned, including mayors and residents who are exerting heavy pressure to prevent the construction of the stations.
There is no dispute that there is a need to promote the construction of the stations, but the question is where - and at what price. The future stations that are in dispute: a magic station planned to be built near Rosh HaAyin, and a Reindeer station planned to be built near Taybeh, on Highway 55. Another station is expected to be built in Ashkelon, and the existing station is expected to be expanded in Hadera.
In the case of the Kesem power station, the complaints are mainly from residents who are angry that the station will be built near the city's homes, while in the case of the Reindeer power station, the protest is twofold – both because of the relative proximity to towns and cities, and because of the concern that the construction of the station will not allow the construction of an interchange from Highway 55 to the Trans-Israel Highway, which according to the authorities in Samaria is urgently needed.
An energy source says the protest is misplaced. "These are not polluting power plants, and in the case of the station near Taybeh, the distance from the communities is kilometers. The protest regarding the road is also irrelevant, since professionals have made it clear that paving an interchange there is not at all possible because of the proximity to other interchanges."
"Cry for the ages"
According to the source, the authorities in southern Samaria, which have significant power in the current government, are exerting heavy pressure on Energy Minister Yisrael Katz to prevent the construction of the Reindeer power station for irrelevant reasons, which could severely harm the electricity supply and competition between the developers. "If only one station is built, it will be a cry for generations. The entrepreneur will be able to set an uncompetitive price, and there will be no one to fight against it. It is necessary for the competition to establish two stations in the center of the country."
Minister Israel Katz // Dudi Vaknin ,
The heads of the local authorities, it should be noted, do not deny their strong opposition to the construction of the two stations in the center of the country. In a recent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu titled "Stopping the Initiative to Approve New Polluting Power Stations that Endanger Half a Million Residents," they argue that a government decision from 2020 explicitly states that renewable energy targets should be increased by expanding existing stations and stations adjacent to infrastructure facilities, and not building new power plants.
"We, and the more than half a million residents under our responsibility, expect you to make the responsible and correct decision," reads the petition, signed by the mayors of Taybeh, Tira, Kafr Qasim, Rosh HaAyin and Kfar Saba, and the mayors of Samaria, Kedumim, Karnei Shomron, Alfei Menashe, Elkana and Oranit, among others.
Recently, residents held a demonstration against the construction of a magic station, but in Reindeer's case, according to sources involved in the matter, the protest is mainly on behalf of the mayors and not the residents themselves, and the political pressure exerted on it is much more significant than the opposition to the Qasem station.
"A responsible and correct decision
Another source says the story is complex and inconclusive. "Approval of the construction of stations in Kesem and Ashkelon is significant progress. The Electricity Authority's forecast says that if new stations are not built by 2026, we will be in real distress. The establishment of two new stations is a great blessing, but the story in Tayibe is complex."
There is no consensus among the various parties regarding the damage that may be caused by the construction of only one station in the center of the country. "It doesn't make sense that they approve the Qesem station, and the Taybeh station is left behind," says one of the sources we spoke with. "This is a serious blow to competition in the electricity sector between entrepreneurs. Minister Yisrael Katz chooses one station and promotes it, leaving the other behind. No competition, no transparency. It was right to approve the two stations and then let the developers compete with each other."
Power supply will be affected
According to professionals involved in the matter, the government is expected to approve only the construction of two stations – apparently in Kesem and Ashkelon, and to refrain from building the station in Taibeh. This, some say, will be a cry for generations. "The electricity supply will be affected, as will competition. The significance of approving only two stations will be throwing NIS 30 million into the trash and harming the electricity that will reach consumers." It should be noted that there is no confirmation of this claim by an official source.
IEC employees,
Minister Katz's office said in response that "Minister Katz formulated the proposal of the decision-makers on the matter, including the location of the required power plants, independently and according to professional considerations only – in accordance with the future needs of the Israeli economy in the field of electricity supply, and without any contact with the heads of various municipalities, with whom he had no contact at all before formulating the planned outline and making the decision," the statement said.
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