The battle is heating up over the location of the power plants that operate on natural gas and are expected to be built in Israel in the coming years. In the coming days, the National Infrastructure Committee (WTL) will hold a crucial discussion on the issue, which concerns regulators, many commercial shortages, and of course the residents whose various stations are located near their places of residence.
While Elharar is in favor of expanding existing stations and even included in the position paper she recently transferred to the VOTL the stations to be built, Cohen argued in her own letter to VOTL chairman Shlomi Heisler a few days ago that the committee’s decision should take into account competition considerations. It also has two projects to prioritize – the power station at the Kesem Interchange promoted by Kesem Energy and the eastern power station, called Reindeer (the USSR approved Reindeer’s plan two years ago, but no government decision has yet been made to actually build the station). Following Cohen’s letter, over the weekend, 17 heads of local authorities sent an urgent letter to the Minister of Economy, Orna Barbibai, in the expectation that she would intervene, in order to publish a clarification regarding Cohen’s position.
These include the head of the Southern Sharon Regional Council, Oshrat Ganei Gonen, the mayor of Kfar Saba, Rafi Saar, the mayor of Rosh HaAyin, Shalom Ben Moshe, the mayor of Taibeh, Shuaa Masarwa Mansour, the head of the Samaria Council, Yossi Dagan and more. Under the headline, “Incorrect, pseudo-misleading and misleading intervention of the Acting Commissioner of the Competition Authority”, they write to Barbibai that, “The Chairman of the National Infrastructure Committee, Mr. Shlomi Heisler, regarding the four plans for the construction of new power plants.”
“The construction of the power plants endangers the future of the half a million residents we represent”
According to them, this is an improper intervention: “In our opinion, there is a fear of an intervention that is not in the place of the commissioner, which could lead to damage to the administrative planning process and public trust in planning systems, including it is contrary to the Attorney General’s instructions.” That the representatives of the committee in the planning institutions should be free from the directives of government ministries, and that their decisions should be influenced by government decisions outlining policy and professional principles only. In addition to the intervention of the Acting Commissioner, we are not confident that, according to her, the two programs she recommends (Kesem and Reindeer. JL) will bring new players into the electricity sector and thus strengthen competition.
An examination of the distribution of holdings in the two entrepreneurial companies, which was handed over to us, showed that it is possible not only that these are not new players, but that they may be companies with extensive holdings in the energy economy. Owns a third of the Alon Tavor power plant. In addition, the company is currently competing for the purchase of the Hagit power plant. Reindeer Energy Ltd., the entrepreneur of the Mizrahi power plant, is owned by Siemens (33%). And Reindeer Partnership Limited Partnership (66%). Siemens manufactures and operates most of the existing turbines in the Israeli electricity sector. “Rafek Energy, which owns the second third of the Alon Tavor power plant, the Phoenix company, is also a partner in the partnership and holds shares at significant rates in renewable energy companies,” they write.
At the end of their letter, they ask Minister Barbibai to “publish a clarification regarding the allegations in a letter from the Acting Commissioner.” They also write that, Who are represented by us. “