Ben Gurion: Power plant in the pipeline
צילום: אמנון טרבלסי
Power plant to be built at Ben Gurion Airport
The Israel Airports Authority develops plan to build natural-gas power palnt for self-consumption and for other bodies at airport
The Israel Airports Authority plans to build a gas-operated power plant at Ben Gurion Airport, as part of the authority's inclination to carry out commercial projects in the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model.
The plan to build the power station was resurfaced after a risk analysis study concluded that operating the power plant close to the airport did not pose a threat of any kind. The study was approved by the Israel Civil Aviation Authority.
The project depends on extending the natural gas line further north from the Gezer power station, where it now stops, to Ben Gurion Airport.
Profitability analyses conducted by the Airports Authority demonstrated that a power plant at Ben Gurion Airport would be worthwhile.
Through the franchise, the authority would generate electricity based on natural gas for its own consumption at Ben Gurion Airport. The franchise would also be allowed to provide electricity to other bodies at Ben Gurion Airport and its surrounding area, such as the Israel Aerospace Industries, Airport City etc.
The Airports Authority's annual electricity consumption currently reaches 20 megawatts, costing an approximate NIS 40 million ($9.5 million). This consumption is growing annually and is expected to reach 40 megawatts within 10 years.
In addition to building the power plant, the project will also include constructing a gas feed line to the energy center to create further savings by operating generators at busy hours on gas.
