The National Planning Commission, headed by Binat Schwartz has decided on 13 possible sites for the natural gas terminal, which will receive gas from offshore discoveries, such as Tamar and Leviathan. The heads of the 26 local authorities participated in the commission's discussion. All of them objected to locating the terminal within, or adjacent to, their jurisdictions.
Mayors who already gas facilities within their jurisdictions said that they have done their bit, while the mayors without such facilities do not want them. "There is enough gasoline and coal, and there is no need to rush," said Ido Sofer, the head of Kfar Masaryk's action committee. "These facilities should be built out to sea. The developers will have Iron Dome paid for them."
A party in the planning told "Globes", "We're seeing 'not in my backyard' syndrome in full strength. After the residents of Hof Hacarmel won their fight against the construction of a terminal at Dor beach, other mayors are shaking in fear if it is decided to build the facility in their jurisdictions, and being seen as suckers by their voters."
The struggle against the gas terminal has been portrayed in the media as an fight led by environmental organizations. This is simply not true. Local residents and their mayors are leading the fight, based on the NIMBY principle. The residents are worried about aesthetic damage to landscapes resulting from an ugly coastal gas terminal, and the safety and health hazards from the construction and operation of a terminal, and the gas deliveries to it. Environmental organizations support the use of natural gas as a cleaner fuel that coal, but local residents don’t care.
During the commission's discussions, environmental organizations showed flexibility in the face of pressure from the mayors. Local residents and environmental organizations sometimes join forces. In a prominent example, they torpedoed a natural gas power station in Yokne'am, which was suitable for many reasons, because the area was a wildlife corridor. However, they are in opposition in the case of the gas terminal.
The Ministry of Defense refuses to budge and allow construction of the gas terminal at the Frutarom Industries Ltd. (TASE: FRUT; LSE:FRUT; Pink Sheets:FRUTF) plant in Acre, citing its proximity to the plant of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. Other locations in Haifa Bay or Caesarea (the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) are also likely to be ruled out, due to protests by local residents.
Coastal kurkar cliffs around Kfar Masaryk, the Wingate Institute, and the Sharon rule them out, while the bird sanctuary at Kibbutz Maagan Michael and the proximity of Road 4 (Coastal Highway) south of Acre will keep the gas terminal away. The proximity of the Coastal Highway to coastline will also help save sites such as Kibbutz Maayan Zvi and north and south Dor.
The likeliest sites at the moment for the gas terminal are near Oil Refineries Ltd. (TASE:ORL) in Haifa Bay, the Ein Ayala quarry, the Hagit private power station, the Hadera and Meretz sewage treatment plants, the Emek Hefer industrial zone, and Shefia B and C.
The gas terminal will need a fairly small 90-dunam (22.5-acre) site, but it will have a 100-meter chimney to emit flames. Reducing the chimney by 25 meters would mean expanding the site by 50%. The terminal will also need a 140-meter wide pipeline corridor clear of all other structures. For safety reasons, no residences will be allowed within a 600-meter radius, and it will be surrounded by a 2,000-dunam (500-acre) area zoned only for industry or agriculture.
The planners promise that the terminal will be safe, and that all safety regulations will be meticulously obeyed. However, residents' other fears can probably not be allayed, such as a future industrial zone, or that a gas terminal might become a target in the event of a war.
The planners believe that approval of the gas terminal is a foregone conclusion. "Israel, with all its gas discoveries, must have an onshore handling facility, even if it is inconvenient to residents. People forget about the huge gas farm at Pi Glilot, just 100 meters from the Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds," said one planner. "The gas terminal is much less problematic and dangerous than facilities that handle gasoline, ammonia, or cooking gas which are scattered around the country's most densely populated areas."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 13, 2012
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