The scorching weather expected this weekend raises an experienced question among many Israelis: Will hundreds of thousands of homes be cut off from electricity this time as well?
The warming that begins today (Thursday) will peak tomorrow with temperatures expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius or more, and just like last weekend, there may be haze, which, as we have already learned, disrupts electricity production through solar energy.
We asked the electric company if this time too, the heat will pass safely and end without power cuts at the height of the heat. Company sources explained to Israel Hayom that the Ministry of Energy has instructed all proper production units to operate in order to avoid the risk of electricity shortages.
IEC sources reassure: "Today there is no question mark, everything that can work works. Can't believe there will be a shortage on Friday. In addition, we are taking all possible steps to prevent a shortage of electricity. We carry out maintenance work on the network itself, promote generators to strategic locations, and more."
Last Friday, IEC's two coal-fired power plants, Rabin and Rotenberg, were not operational, even though they were in working order. Together, they could supply 900 megawatts to the electricity sector, thus preventing the electricity shortage, which reached 300-400 megawatts last Friday. A risk assessment conducted in the electricity sector before the end of last week turned out to be erroneous, because it did not take into account that certain power plants would produce less electricity due to the heat load and due to malfunctions that occurred at the Hagit and Dalia power stations.
At this stage, it is unclear who is responsible for the fact that the two coal-fired power plants were not activated on time, and next week the Ministry of Energy is expected to finish examining the disconnection incident that took place last weekend and publish its main conclusions.
Ministry of Energy: "The heat level is less extreme"
Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure Director General Kobi Blitstein yesterday assessed the situation in the energy sector ahead of the weather and the wave of heat expected this weekend.
A statement from the Ministry of Energy said: "The data indicate that the heat level is less extreme than it was at the end of last week and that the relevant authorities have made the relevant preparations to deal with the weather."
At the discussion, Noga presented the planned operating plan for the economy, the expected reserves, and their assessments in order to avoid malfunctions in the electricity supply, as they were last week. The Ministry of Natural Gas Authority presented that this week as well, no shortage of natural gas is expected for the electricity sector, and noted that maintenance work planned on the Leviathan rig is not expected to affect the electricity sector.
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