Israel Electric Corp (IEC )intends to file a petition with the Environmental Protection Ministry and the Dan Regional Association for Environmental Infrastructure to once more use fuel oil in its Tel Aviv-based Reading Power Station, Ynet learned Sunday.
Energy production via fuel oil is highly pollutant and in 2006, IEC's Reading made the transition to natural gas .Other IEC power stations operate on both fuel oil and natural gas.
IEC explained its move citing rising concerns over its ability to meet power demands in the coming summer, on the backdrop of the problems in natural gas supplied from Egypt and the dwindling supply from the Yam Tatis reservoir.
"We believe we are about to face dire straits and we will have to resort to using other fuels to operate the stations, like diesel and fuel oil," the company said. "Ahead of this, we are exploring the necessary regulatory permits."
Once the permits are secured, IEC will explore the possibility of re-converting the Reading station to fuel oil-based power production; a process which is likely to take four months. Converting the station back to gas-based production will also take about four months.
The Environmental Protection Ministry said: "Following the market's gas crisis the Environmental Protection Ministry has asked Israel Electric Corp to present it with all of the alternatives, spanning various scenarios, to both prevent harmful pollution and find an acceptable solution."
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