The winning company in the tender was selected PPP For financing, planning, construction, operation, maintenance and transfer to the state of a solar power generation facility in Dimona, using photovoltaic technology with a capacity of up to 300 MW (TTL 82) and for the first time with the addition of a facility for storing energy on an unprecedented scale in Israel. Housing and Construction Energy Company Dimona Solar Project Ltd. won the tender at a price of 8.58 agorot per kWh. This is a price at a significantly cheaper price compared to generating electricity using polluting fuels.
The facility, which will cover an area of about 3,000 dunams, will generate electricity using photovoltaic technology, with some of the electricity generated being converted into an electricity storage system. The station is expected to be the largest solar power plant in Israel and one of the largest in the world, and to help achieve the government’s goals for generating electricity from renewable energies, which stand at 30% of total electricity production by 2030.
The tender includes for the first time a requirement to integrate technology for energy storage in batteries with a capacity of 210 MWh. Electricity storage is a necessary condition in order to advance the goal of producing 30% of the electricity in the economy by 2030 through renewable energies, because it allows the use of electricity produced from solar energy even in the evening when there is no solar production but the demand for electricity is high. Thus, during solar radiation, the storage system is charged with excess solar energy and in the evening, it “releases” this energy to the electricity grid instead of supplementing the missing energy through production using polluting fuels.
The tender is promoted by the joint inter-ministerial tender committee for the Ministries of Finance, Energy, the Electricity Authority, the Israel Land Authority and the government company Inbal, headed by Mr. Amit Marzai, Director of the Infrastructure and Projects Unit PPP In the Accountant General’s Division of the Ministry of Finance.
The Accountant General, Yahli Rotenberg: “The announcement of the winner of the tender for the construction of the largest solar facility in Israel to date is a significant milestone in achieving the government’s goals for generating electricity with renewable energy, and is the result of continuous cooperation between government ministries.”
The Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Lior Shilat: “The facility in Dimona raises the State of Israel to another stage in increasing the amounts of electricity produced from renewable energies and constitutes a significant line for all of us. Establishment of energy storage capacity, combined with the solar facility, will ensure the maximization of the use of renewable energies that will be produced in the facility. This is a significant step by the government to promote the construction of renewable energy power plants, as part of its commitment to meet the 30% renewable energy target by 2030. It should be noted that the Ministry of Energy initiates and promotes additional plans for solar energy combined storage, In the planning process, there are additional plans for solar production and storage, which will make Israel an important part of the global trend for the production of electricity with renewable energies. “
Acting Chairman of the Electricity Authority, Yoav Katzboy: “We welcome the results of the tender, which were achieved thanks to the fruitful cooperation of the Electricity Authority, the Accountant General and other government bodies. The establishment of the project will be another significant step in the challenging journey to achieve the government’s goals in the field of renewable energies. “
The director of the Israel Land Authority, Yankee Quint: “I congratulate the success of the tender. The Israel Land Authority will continue to work for the production of clean energy and dealing with the climate crisis, while preserving land reserves for additional uses and open spaces for the benefit of future generations. “