Eastern power station
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Eastern power station (תחנת כוח מזרחית) is a power station in pre-construction in Kfar Saba, HaMerkaz, Israel. It is also known as Reindeer Plant’ 'Hashalom\Peace Power Plant'.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern power station | Kfar Saba, HaMerkaz, Israel | 32.18461, 34.94131 (approximate)[1] |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | pre-construction[2][3] | gas[2] | 1300[2][1] | not found[4][5][3] | not found | not found | – |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Reindeer Energy Ltd[6] | Siemens AG; Reindeer Partnership |
Background
The “Eastern Station” is a natural gas-powered facility intended for construction within the South Sharon Regional Council on the “Mifgash Hashalom” site. This site is located between the cities of Kfar Saba in Israel, and Qalqilya in the Palestinian Territories.[7]
In 2019, the Israeli National Infrastructure Committee (NIC) approved a plan to build Eastern Station, Israel’s largest private power plant. It will be built by Reindeer Energy Ltd., a joint partnership between Siemens AG and Israel-based Phoenix Insurance Company Ltd. The construction is estimated at between NIS two billion (around $572 million) and NIS three billion (around $858 million), not including its future gas contract, which is expected to double the funding needed. The plant will supply up to 1,300 megawatts, around 10% of the current capability of the Israel Electric Corporation, Israel’s largest electric power supplier. The largest private plant operating in Israel today has a 910-megawatt capacity.[7]
Objections to the Project:
Fourteen Israeli municipalities and the Palestinian municipalities of Qalqilya and Habla filed objections to the NIC. The Israel Planning Authority rejected the request. The Israeli Ministry of Environment Protection under MK Gila Gamliel and the former Head of the Knesset Environment Committee, MK Miki Haimovitch, have come out against the plan to build any new gas-powered stations in Israel, including the project proposed. They confirmed that Israel could fully meet future needs by focusing on renewable energy projects. The Israeli Ministry of Energy, to accommodate the opposition of the Ministry of the Environment and the Knesset Environment Committee, has said that it will reduce its plans for additional gas power plants.[7] In 2021, the Infrastructure Committee confirmed its approval of the plant, overriding the opposition of the ministries of energy and environmental protection and municipal authorities.[8]
Environmental and Public Health Concerns:
Air Pollution: The plant is expected to produce large amounts of electricity from gas and diesel fuel in times of possible gas disruption. The air pollution concern from natural gas relates to releasing nitrogen and sulfur oxides. This is of particular concern for the Palestinian communities, given that the meteorological and wind regimes of the area will largely carry air pollutants east in the direction of the West Bank. [7]
Hydrological Dangers: The plant is located on a site known for its hydrological sensitivity above the Mountain Aquifer's western basin, shared Israeli / Palestinian groundwater. The plant would be operating under natural gas and diesel fuel, with 28,000 cubic meters of diesel fuel stored near these hydrologically sensitive areas. As a result, the plant poses a significant risk to the groundwater for both Israelis and Palestinians alike. For the Palestinian residents and farming communities around Qalqilya, the risk is higher because the groundwater represents their only water source for domestic and agricultural needs. On the other hand, Israeli communities are connected to a sophisticated water network that includes access to desalinated water.[7]
Public Health Impacts: Exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) may cause an increase in inflammatory responses in the respiratory system of healthy people. It can lead to an increase in viral diseases, and for women, exposure to NO2 during the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of fetal heart defects. Exposure to sulfur dioxides can lead to impairment in lung function in children. In conclusion, air pollution resulting from the burning of gas can cause respiratory damage to healthy people and worsen the health condition of at-risk populations. [7]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20220119120640/https://www.timesofisrael.com/controversial-gas-power-plant-approved-over-energy-ministers-objection/. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/07340L-377320600.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20230620032816/http://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-746128. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220712234617/https://en.reindeer-energy.com/. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20220709122159/https://www.urgewald.org/sites/default/files/media-files/Briefing%20Note%20The%20%E2%80%98Eastern%20Station%27%202019%20power%20station%20-%2008-27-2020.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 09 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230107090046/https://en.reindeer-energy.com/abouttheeasternstation/. Archived from the original on 07 January 2023.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 "EcoPeace Middle East, Report.Pages 1, 4, 5, 6" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Surkes, Sue. "Controversial gas power plant approved over energy minister's objection". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of gas-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
