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Exploratory drilling in Judean Desert underway
National Parks and Nature Reserves' Commission grants Delek Energy, Ginko final permit to search for oil in three-mile stretch of desert. Society for Protection of Nature in Israel objects, says prospects fail to justify damaging fragile ecosystem
Asaf Shmueli
The National Parks and Nature Reserves' Commission green-lighted exploratory oil drilling in the Judean Desert last week. The commission is a public body, subject to the Environmental Protection Ministry's supervision.
The decision will allow two private contractors, Delek Energy Systems and Ginko, to drill 3,200 feet deep into desert soil in an attempt to strike black gold. The two were already given a preliminary permit for the project in august.
The location chosen for the exploratory drill in a nature reserve off Highway 31, slightly north of the Dead Sea. The site may hold an oil reservoir which could potentially produce 6.5 million oil barrels.
Should oil be found, and per the commission's demand, a diagonal pipeline will be built, leading to a rig stationed outside the reserve.
Fragile ecosystem. The Judean Desert (Photo: Michal Carmon)
The Society for Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) however, has its reservations about the project, fearing the drilling may have a detrimental effect on the fragile desert ecosystem.
SPNI sources said that in the hearing preceding the decision, the National Infrastructures Ministry introduced data indicating that the chances of striking oil in the area stand at only 15%; adding that such slim prospects do not justify the irrevocable harm drilling will cause the area.
"This is an unfortunate decision which sets an unhealthy precedent. It goes against several international treaties Israel is a part of, such as the Species Biodiversity Treaty," said Shai Tachnai, SPNI's southern district coordinator for the preservation of nature.
The contractors leading the project said that the drilling will span a three-mile radius on the edge of the reserve, and should the quantity of oil found prove insufficient for commercial production, all drilling will stop within two months.
Former Interior Minister Avraham Poraz, who now represents Delek and Ginko, welcomed drill permit and dismissed the SPNI's concerns, saying "I know the potential drill site and it's just another stretch of desert, it's not (ecologically) unique.
"Okaying exploratory drilling was the right thing to do," added Poraz. "Dozens of desert miles can't be off limits to drilling. We will be using a small area, only a few acres wide, and of nothing becomes of it, we will pack up and leave. After all, it's the Judean Desert, not Temple Mount."
The National Parks and Nature Reserves' Commission confirmed that an exploratory drill permit for the area has been given. The Environmental Protection Ministry declined comment.
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