Haaretz,
August 4, 2007
By The Associated Press
Israel is reviving plans for a nuclear power plant in the Negev Desert, Army Radio quoted Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) as saying on Friday.
Continue reading "Ben-Eliezer: Israel reviving plan to build nuclear power plant" »
Jordan Times
August 3, 2007
By Hana Namrouqa
AMMAN -- The Cabinet last week approved awarding a tender for the sale of carbon
dioxide generated from the Rihab electricity generating plant in Mafraq to a US
company.
Continue reading "Carbon dioxide sale tender awarded to US firm" »
Ma'an
July 20, 2007
تكبير الخط تصغير الخط
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israel and the Palestinian Authority are reportedly in talks over signing the largest mutual economic agreement since the Oslo Accords, the Israeli Maariv daily reported on Friday.
Continue reading "Israel and PA preparing to sign $4 billion gas deal, Maariv reports" »
The Jerusalem Post
Jul. 17, 2007
Ron Friedman
A series of "green" motions were passed in the Knesset on Tuesday, as part of a day dedicated to environmental causes.
In their attempt to make Israel a more environmentally-friendly country, "Green" lawmakers and activists decided to start from the top. The leaders of the Knesset Socio-Environmental caucus, together with environmental student organization "The Green Course," submitted a report to the Knesset providing practical proposals for making the country's governing body more environmentally conscientious.
Jordan Times
June 13, 2007
Feynan Eco-lodge gets commendation as Best Overseas Tourism Project
The lodge at Wadi Feynan sits deep in the mountains of Jordan’s southern Rift Valley (Photo courtesy of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature)
By Linda Hindi
AMMAN — As Jordan advances in the global ecotourism sector, the Feynan Eco-lodge in the Dana Reserve has received an international commendation under the title “Best Overseas Tourism Project”.
Haaretz
July 10, 2007
By Tamara Traubmann
In the early afternoon, Tami Zuri picks lavender, melissa and mint from the flower pots on her balcony in north Tel Aviv. She is preparing a drink for the participants in a workshop she will be giving shortly on producing vegetable dairy products.
Continue reading "Green life in the city: Clothes from the street, recycled water" »
Arab Environmental Monitor
July 15, 2007
Batir Wardham
Sustainable buildings are wittnessing high growth and momentum in many countries around the world. The concept is pioneering and such buildings will include hundreds of eco-friendly innovations. The cost of installation and maintenance will always be high until it becomes economically feasible but the technology is there and that matters.
The Ecogeek blog, the world's leading blog for ecological innovations has published a list of the world's top 10 green skyscrapers based on a study by Jon Schroeder.
Continue reading "Study: The greenest skyscraper in the world is in Bahrain" »
Jordan Times
July 1, 2007
Mohammad Ghazal
AMMAN -- The government has issued instructions to the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company (JPRC) to improve the quality of its diesel, which contains a high ratio of lead that is harmful to the environment, Minister of Environment Khalid Irani said on Sunday.
"The Cabinet recently took a decision to commit the JPRC to set a clear and time-specific schedule for improving the quality of its diesel, which contains lead levels that are much higher than international and local standards," Irani told The Jordan Times.
Continue reading "Gov't instructs JPRC to improve diesel quality" »
Haaretz
July 2, 2007
By Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondent
The Knesset approved the third reading of a bill Monday calling for solar powered water heaters to be installed in all public housing apartments so that poverty stricken families will be able to reduce their electric bills.
Continue reading "Bill passed requiring solar powered water heaters in public housing" »
Jordan Times
2 Jul 2007
By Samir Ghawi
Jul. 2--AMMAN -- Technical and economic studies conducted on 20 establishments showed that there is a possibility of conserving 20 per cent of their energy consumption, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Khalid Shraideh told an executive club lunch on Sunday.
Shraideh spoke about the future strategy of Jordan's energy sector saying that the National Petroleum Company (NPC) is seeking a joint venture partner to explore and develop the Risha gas field and the necessary infrastructure.
Continue reading "Studies on 20 establishments show possibility to conserve 20% of their" »
Al Hayat
July 2, 2007
Walid Khadduri
Beirut - Natural gas production and export in the Mediterranean waters off of the coast of Gaza strip bring an added dimension to the ongoing conflict between Fatah and Hamas over the political control of the strip.
The Gaza marine field was discovered in the late 90's by the British Gas company BG Group, but its development was belated on account of the political complications and issues related to the Palestinian cause and the Israeli debate on the safety of gas installations from an Arabic source.
Continue reading "The Conflict in Palestine and its Repercussions on Gaza Gas Export to Israel" »
Jordan Times
July 8, 2007
By Mohammad Ghazal
AMMAN - Jordan will begin supplying the West Bank city of Jericho with all electricity needs at preferential prices before the end of this year, an official said on Saturday.
Jordan Times
Agence French Presse
July 5 2007
Laith Abou-Ragheb
Giant islands taking shape off the coast of Dubai are sparking interest not only from celebrities but also from environmental campaigners jittery about the man-made structures so large they can be seen from space.
Continue reading "Green campaigners keep watch on Dubai's man-made isles" »
Israel 21c
July 01, 2007
DEMOCRACY
By Ilana Teitelbaum
From the moment we wake up in the morning and open a box of cereal to the hours we spend at work among printers, faxes, and copying machines, to times spent relaxing in the evening with a magazine or mass market paperback, we are constantly surrounded by paper.
Continue reading "Israeli discovery paves way for cost-efficient wood alternative" »
Israel 21c
July 05, 2007
TECHNOLOGY
By Nicky Blackburn
You can tell Joseph Cory is a dreamer. Turn to his company's web site, Geotectura.com, and you see a host of ideas ranging from the wild - a one-meter square movable 'house' for the homeless, to the wacky, electro-magnetic skyscrapers that float above the ground. But out of this riotous imagination, Cory, a new breed of environmental architect, has developed a number of award-winning schemes that could help deal with some of the world's most pressing problems - lack of renewable energy, and water scarcity.
Continue reading "Israeli inventor puts his head in the clouds and his feet on the ground" »
Haaretz
July 7, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat, Haaretz Correspondent
Vehicular emissions count for one-fifth of the total amount of global warming-gas carbon dioxide emitted in Israel each year, according to a report issued last week.
Continue reading "Study: Israeli cars emit more than 14 million tons of CO2 anually" »
Jordan Times
June 27, 2007
AMMAN (Petra) — Energy specialists reiterated on Thursday the need to rely on local energy resources to increase electrical power generation and reduce the country’s oil bill.
Continue reading "Experts underline local resources to raise electrical power generation" »
Jordan Times
June 27, 2007
Multimillion-dinar residential city named after Saudi Monarch
AMMAN (Petra) — A multimillion-dinar residential city will be built near Zarqa to tackle overcrowding and help citizens on low and limited incomes buy suitable housing.
The 70,000-unit project, to be built on 21,000 state-owned dunums, was announced at a Royal Court meeting attended by King Abdullah and Saudi King Abdullah, who concluded yesterday a key two-day visit to Jordan.
Arab Environmental Monitor
Source: Jordan Business
June 2007
By: Nina Robertson
When Khaled Bushnaq decided 16 years ago to set up a firm that would provide technical consultancy in the field of energy conservation, most people were more than a bit skeptical. Energy conservation was almost entirely unheard of in the Middle East, and businesses were certainly not factoring energy-saving measures into their budgets.
Ignoring the cynics, Mr. Bushnaq, along with a business associate, established Energy Management Services (EMS) in Jordan in 1991, with a paid-up capital of JD30,000. Two years later, the company received the Special Recognition Award at the 16th World Energy Congress in the U.S. Today, EMS capital is JD2 million and is the leading energy service company (ESCO) in the Middle East, providing its services to over 500 companies in Jordan and the region.
Continue reading "Turning Business Green: The experience of EMS Company in the Arab World" »
Jerusalem Post
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Jun. 24, 2007 22:36 | Updated Jun. 25, 2007 0:04
A new way to produce electricity using helium balloons coated with solar cells has been devised by researchers at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.
Scientists from the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Architecture and City Construction have already installed two models, one in the city and one in a desert area that lacks power.
Continue reading "Technion researchers generate energy from balloons" »
Jerusalem Post
By MATTHEW KRIEGER
Jun. 21, 2007 21:38 | Updated Jun. 22, 2007 4:45
Plastic from corn, biological-weapons neutralization and the vanquishing of pollutants from munitions were among the topics discussed at this month's "Green Chemistry" conference at Tel Aviv University, the first such meeting held in Israel.
"The development of the field of green chemistry in Israel is of tremendous importance to the future of industrial and academic development in the country, as well as to the health of the public and the environment in the region," said officials at TAU's Porter School of Environmental Studies, which hosted the two-day event.
Continue reading "Green Chemistry' promises a cleaner country" »
Haaretz
June 14, 2007
By Yoram Gavison
Aggressive buying by a foreign investment firm that operates in Israel spurred shares in Ormat Industries (TASE: ORMT) to a 12% gain on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, on enormous turnover of NIS 358 million. That's ten times its average daily volume of trade in the last three months. No less than 6.3% of the company's stock changed hands yesterday alone, and TheMarker has learned that the buyer is none other than Gazit Inc., which belongs to real estate developer Chaim Katzman.
Jordan Times
June 8, 2007
Hana Namrouqa
ZARQA -- The Jordan Biogas Company in Ruseifa is currently conducting negotiations with the government of Finland to sell biogas generated from the Ruseifa landfill, the company's director, Hatem Ababneh, said on Thursday.
"Selling the biogas to Finland is an outcome of Jordan signing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992 and the Kyoto Protocol, which allow industrialised countries with a greenhouse gas reduction commitment to invest in emission-reducing projects in developing countries," Ababneh told reporters, during a tour of the company's headquarters yesterday organised by the Ministry of Environment.
Continue reading " Negotiations under way to sell biogas to Finland" »
The Jerusalem Post
Jun. 6, 2007
Talia Dekel
The European Union is working to promote more efficient usage of energy in the Middle East, which will in turn strengthen ties between Israel, Jordan and the EU, Ambassador Ramiro Cibrian said Tuesday.
The ambassador, who heads a permanent delegation of the European Commission in Israel, spoke at a conference aimed at turning sustainable energy into "a catalyst for regional economic development."
Continue reading "EU urges regional cooperation on energy use" »
Jordan Times
June 6, 2007
Hana Namrouqa
AMMAN -- Jordan will continue implementing programmes and projects seeking to address environmental hotspots in the country, Minister of Environment Khalid Irani said on Tuesday in a statement marking World Environment Day (WED).
Celebrated annually on June 5, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.
Continue reading " Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions a top priority -- Irani" »
The Jerusalem Post
Jun. 6, 2007
SAUL ELBEIN
Outsourcing, global warming and terrorism are very different problems, but "green power" could wean the West and the developing world off cheap oil and its accompanying problems, New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas L. Friedman said Wednesday.
Continue reading "'Green power' could help solve many problems" »
Ma'an News Service
June 5, 2007
Bethlehem - Ma'an - On the occasion of World Environment Day, celebrated every year on 5 June since 1972, when the United Nations declared World Day at the opening of the Stockholm conference on human environment, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) has issued a press release on the state of the Palestinian environment.
Population density
Continue reading "On World Environment Day, PCBS reveals the state of the Palestinian Environment" »
YNET
March 30, 2007
Joint venture could help save the environment while forging stronger collaborative ties in Middle East
IEICI
Published: 05.30.07, 18:07 / Israel Money
An Israeli-Jordanian automotive project is taking a big leap forward. Executives from Renault and Toyota have been speaking to officials from both sides, in an attempt to launch a joint venture for a factory specializing in
environmentally-friendly electric cars. According to the plan, the location of this factory would be near the border between Israel and Jordan, in an area called Peace Valley.
The Jerusalem
May. 30, 2007
YORAM DORI
It is said of Israel that she is a mini-cosmos. A country of immigrants hailing from more than 120 countries: fair-skinned and dark-skinned, Chinese and Indian, haredim and atheists. An 80 percent Jewish majority that lives alongside an Arab minority, mostly Muslims, an island in an Islamic sea in the throes of a power struggle between Shi'ite and Sunni hegemony, and counting a population of 7 million spread over an area (sovereign Israel) that measures a mere 20,770 kilometers.
The Daily Star
May 28, 2007
An israeli attack caused the disaster, but environmentalists say Lebanese inaction made it worse
By Dona Challita
Special to The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Several forms of pollutants have fouled the sea off Lebanon for decades, including industrial effluents, untreated sewage and runoff from coastal garbage dumps. As though this were not enough, an Israeli attack during the war last summer added another hazardous element to the mix when the destruction of the storage tanks at the jiyyeh power plant south of Beirut released an estimated 15,000 tons of fuel oil into the Mediterranean.
Continue reading "Critics flay official response to Jiyyeh spill" »
YNET
May 25, 2007
New geothermal plant to be constructed by Israeli company at geothermal site
in rural Nevada
Israel Money
Ormat Technologies, Inc announced Thursday that one of its subsidiaries had
signed a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Nevada Power Company, a
subsidiary of Sierra Pacific Resources, for the sale of energy produced from
the Grass Valley Geothermal Power Plant to be built in Lander County in
northern Nevada.
Continue reading "Ormat Technologies signs 20-year contract in US" »
Middle East Times
May 26, 2007
Marian Houk
JERUSALEM -- Movement was reported this week on an Israeli government decision to authorize a long-term agreement to purchase gas from Gaza's offshore wells at market price from the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli cabinet made the decision to go ahead with negotiations to buy Palestinian gas on April 29.
The exploitation of the offshore gas field is expected to generate much-needed revenue for the Palestinians. Some analysts argue, however, that the main advantages of the deal are not only financial - it is hoped that the mutual dependency that will be created by the deal will help create an atmosphere more conducive to peace.
Middle East Times
May 27, 2007
Energy Watch
By Andrea R. Mihailescu
UPI
BG faces criticism for bid to sell Palestinian gas to the Israelis
BG Group wants to sell Palestinian gas to Israel, in a deal brokered by Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Haaretz
May 27, 2007
By Avi Bar-Eli
Yossi Maiman avers that the Israeli-Egyptian natural gas consortium EMG can sell Israel gas for less than British Gas can.
Maiman owns an interest in Merhav, which owns an interest in EMG. He argues that if the state decided to buy and market natural gas itself, it must hold a tender and allow potential suppliers to compete over price.
Continue reading "Maiman: EMG can sell Israel as much gas as BG can, for less money" »
Ynet
May 24, 2007
London Times reports British Gas close to signing deal to supply Israel with gas from off-shore field near Gaza. Hamas says will block deal
The BG group, former owner of British Gas is about to sign a four billion dollar deal to supply Israel with gas found in an off-shore field near Gaza, the London Times reported Thursday.
Continue reading "British Gas to sign $4 billion deal with Israel" »
Ma'an
May 23, 2007
Bethlehem - Ma'an - British newspaper The Sunday Times has reported that
British Gas (now BG Group) is about to close a deal worth $4 billion, to supply
Palestinian gas to Israel.
The Jerusalem Post
Mar. 5, 2007
Sheera Claire Frenke
Despite Israel's carcinogenic waterways, local companies lead the world in clean-water know-how, and 2007 is set to be a banner year for foreign sales of the blue-and-white technology.
Dozens of groups from across the globe are planning trips to Israel this year with an eye toward purchasing some of the environmentally friendly technology being developed by Israeli scientists. The industry brought approximately one billion dollars last year, but Avraham Israeli, head of Water and Environmental Technology at the Israel Export Institute, said Israel's slice of the international pie could be $10 billion.
Continue reading "Israel's green technology leads world, but not at home" »
Haaretz
March 8, 2007
By Pe'er Visner
It's just like Israel to take a great idea and execute it badly, wasting taxpayers' money and even putting lives at risk.
That's the case regarding the idea of levying congestion tax on travelers using the Ayalon Freeway, to reduce traffic in Tel Aviv.
The Jerusalem Post
Mar. 1, 2007
shelly paz
Dozens of Greenpeace activists demonstrated in front of the Rabin Lights power station near Hadera on Wednesday under the slogan, "Pollution is returned to the polluter."
The protesters used pipes to blow thick, gray but harmless smoke toward the facility, and later spoke with Hadera residents.
Continue reading "Greenpeace protests at Hadera power plant" »
Jordan Times
Feb. 28, 2007
AMMAN -- The Greek government is to contribute $1 million for the feasibility study of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project.
Ambassador of Greece to Jordan Troyphon Parakevopolos on Tuesday submitted a letter from Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Evripidis Stylianidis to Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair Al-Ali, affirming his government's commitment in this regard.
Continue reading "Greece to co-finance feasibility study for Dead-Red project" »
Haaretz
February 26, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat
The government of Israel lined its pockets with plenty of cash last week through the privatization of the Haifa-based Oil Refineries and also ensured handsome revenues for the new controlling shareholders. The calculation of monetary profit has already been made, but another calculation - environmental and health - remains unresolved.
Haaretz
February 22, 2007
22.2.07 | 10:31 By Sharon Kedmi
After years of delays and procrastination, a tender for building Israel's first solar-power plant is to be issued this year.
The 250-megawatt plant will be built on 4,000 dunams (1,000 acres) in the Ashalim complex in the Negev.
Continue reading "Israel to get its first solar plant, at last" »
MA'AN
February 2, 2007
تكبير الخط تصغير الخط
Jericho - Ma'an – On Thursday, the training center of the Jerusalem electric company concluded a customer-service training course for their employees for when they conduct technical works or collect money. They were trained to reply positively to citizens' inquiries.
Continue reading "Solar power station to be established near Jericho" »
Greenpeace
February 18, 2007
International — Greenpeace today called for urgent discussions about a Nuclear Free Middle East to create a region free of all nuclear technology, civil and military, as essential to increasing peace and stability in the region. The international peace and environment group said nuclear technology is not the solution to either national security or energy needs.
Continue reading "Greenpeace calls for a Nuclear Free Middle East" »
Al Jazeera
February 18, 2007
The plant could be operational by 2009 [EPA]
Abu Dhabi is to build a $350m solar power plant, the first of its kind in the Gulf, according to an investor in the project.
Abu Dhabi holds more than 90 per cent of the oil reserves of the United Arab Emirates, the seven-member federation.
Arab Environment Monitor
February 20, 2007
Derek Sands
UPI
CAIRO -- Egypt may soon harness the same physics that a child uses to burn an ant with a magnifying glass, to generate electricity from the sun, a move that reflects the growth of Concentrating Solar Power technology worldwide.
YNET
February 18, 2007
Government slated to okay proposal for privatization of Israel Electric Corp and its division into several subsidiaries
Tani Goldstein
Continue reading "Cabinet to approve Electric Corp. reform" »
Haaretz / Jordan Times
February 15, 2007
By Margaret Beckett
[listserve note: published in both Jordan Times and Haaretz, unusual for the region]
All too often the news is dominated by conflict and disagreement. Then a threat of such magnitude comes along that it forcefully reminds us of our common humanity - in other words just how much all of us, whatever our background, creed or colour hold in common. For our generation that threat is climate change.
Sam Ser, THE JERUSALEM POST Jan. 11, 2007
If you've ever held a magnifying glass over a piece of paper on a bright summer
day, you can appreciate the potential of concentrated solar energy. What
scientists have had to do to realize some of that potential, though, has turned
that simple phenomenon into a complicated operation that now entails p-n
junction diodes, depletion regions and the Czochralski process.
Different approaches to capturing and transforming solar energy have led to a
number of amazing technologies.
The simplest, called a hot box, goes back 240 years - when a Swiss scientist who
took notice of the greenhouse effect, in which a glass enclosure traps heat from
the sun, started building contraptions to do just that. By the end of the 19th
century, crude systems for heating water had been developed; today their
descendants, not much more complex than the originals, can be found on rooftops
all over the country (and the world). The same concept can be used to make
low-tech devices offering a cheap, safe cooking method for the world's poorest
people.
That the sun can produce heat seems obvious. That it can be used to produce
electricity is another matter, and requires a whole lot more engineering. There
are essentially two ways to go about it. One way exploits the heat of the sun's
rays, while the other exploits its light.
The Israeli company Luz developed one of the world's most stunning examples of
solar thermal power by utilizing parabolic troughs. These curved mirrors
reflect and amplify the sun's heat, directing it onto a pipe carrying a liquid
that is capable of reaching and maintaining very high temperatures. The liquid
flows to a facility where its heat turns a turbine, and the turbine generates
electricity. With rows upon rows of troughs in a large solar field - and with
improvements to the technology from Beit Shemesh-based Solel significantly
increasing its efficiency - the method can produce enough electricity to power
hundreds of thousands of homes.
"So far," notes Prof. David Faiman of the National Solar Energy Center in Sde
Boker, "this approach has proved the most economically viable."
A similar idea is to use flat mirrors arrayed in a circle or a semi-circle to
reflect sunlight onto a central tower, where the heat can be used to create
electricity. This is the approach used by the Weizmann Institute of Science in
Rehovot.
An alternative to solar thermal energy is using the sun's light to manipulate a
metal's molecules.
As their name implies, photovoltaic (PV) systems turn light into electricity.
Photons in sunlight come zooming through the atmosphere and smacking into an
absorbent material, knocking electrons loose and setting off a reaction that
gets a direct current (DC) flowing. An inverter turns this into alternating
current (AC), which can then be directed into your home to power your
appliances.
PV technology is highly adaptable. Since a series of breakthroughs in the
mid-1950s that allowed satellites to use solar panels to power themselves in
space, PV systems have been used for a wide variety of applications - from
solar-powered wristwatches to solar-powered factories and villages.
In Israel, PV panels power remote Beduin encampments, small schools and
cash-strapped clinics, street lights and even irrigation systems. The traffic
probe readers that monitor the Trans-Israel Highway and its automated billing
system are powered by PV panels; the system is the first of its kind in the
world.
A major downside of PV technology is its reliance on silicon. Although the
wafers of semiconductive material used in solar panels are incredibly thin,
they still amount to a huge expense because the material is scarce and very
expensive to create. Competition with the computer industry for access to
silicon has been fierce; both fields are growing at a tremendous rate, and
production of silicon is limited.
Researchers around the world, including numerous teams here, are developing
alternative materials that can be made into multi-layered, thin-film composites
and used instead of silicon. Other avenues include light-absorbing dyes and even
more complicated technologies such as photoelectrochemical cells, polymer solar
cells and nanocrystal solar cells. None of these has proven yet that it can
replace silicon. And in the meantime, silicon systems are being designed with
greater efficiency to reduce the amount of the material needed.
Taking that idea a giant step further, the contraption that Faiman and his
colleagues set up in Sde Boker uses only one silicon solar cell. Like the solar
thermal systems, it uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight - for its light in this
case, not for its heat.
No matter which of these approaches is used, though, solar electricity is
hampered by one obvious drawback: the sun only shines for half the day.
In theory, this is not as big of a problem as it seems. Peak energy demand time
is during the day; there is much less demand for electricity at night. Since a
conventional power plant cannot just be shut down after sundown, because it
needs to be kept firing constantly - a huge waste of resources, alternative
energy proponents note - most of the electricity that a conventional power
plant creates at night just goes to waste. That's why electricity costs much
less at night than it does during the day. In that sense, a solar plant is much
more efficient.
However, there is no denying that at least some power needs to be generated at
night. To overcome their inability to function after dark, solar power systems
can be outfitted with supplementary power generators fueled by coal or natural
gas, if need be. The combination of the two would provide the efficiency of
solar power with the stability and on-demand production of conventional power.
(Another solution would be to add batteries to a solar power plant to store
excess energy from the day for use at night. At present, such storage solutions
are impractical, but a commercial-level model may be ready within a few years.)
For now, it seems that solar power is destined to augment, rather than replace,
conventional electricity. Even for those involved in solar power's development,
like Faiman, that's not a bad scenario.
"I think that, for now, one doesn't want to replace conventional electricity,"
he says. "First of all, there is a tremendous amount of money invested in the
infrastructure, and to simply junk that would be a major perturbation to any
country's economy.
"Secondly, major international companies rely on these power plants to keep them
in business, and if you were to threaten to put them out of business, you would
generate a backlash and they would probably destroy you. What is necessary is
for them to perceive solar power not as a threat, but as something that they
themselves could eventually offer."
- S.S.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467710557&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Jordan Times
By Ramsey G. Tesdell
and Hugh Naylor
AMMAN — Last year, Mahmoud Ibrahim was earning a modest living selling bread and
sweets at his Raghadan bakery. But things have changed: Business has taken a
turn for the worse this year, stripping him of the income he needs to feed and
clothe his family.
Ibrahim, a father of six young daughters and a 13-year-old boy, is one of many
Jordanians experiencing the side effects of a price increase on oil-based
fuels.
“I had to raise my prices to 200 fils for a pastry. I used to sell them for 150,
even 100 fils, if people bargained,” he said, adding that raising his prices has
failed to compensate for hike in the cost of cooking gas over the past year.
Gas cylinders now cost JD4.25 each, compared to JD3.25 in 2005.
“My rent’s JD300 a month… but I’m not making enough to pay for it,” he said.
The spike in oil-based fuel prices is a consequence of a plan by the ministries
of finance and energy and mineral resources to reform the energy sector.
Announced in 2004, the plan aims to wean the Kingdom off subsidies that have
placed a huge burden on the state budget due to soaring international oil
prices and the loss of preferential rates from Saudi Arabia and Iraq, which
used to provide Jordan with 5.5 million tonnes annually before the March 2003
US-led invasion.
According to Ezzeddin Kanakria, assistant secretary general at the Ministry of
Finance, the treasury is currently paying around JD250 million annually in
subsidies.
“But for every $1 increase in the price of a barrel of oil,” he said, “it costs
the treasury an additional JD35 million.”
The elimination of subsidies will relieve the government of this onus and “allow
the Jordanian market to compete on the international market,” Mahmoud Al Ees,
director of the planning department at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Resources, told The Jordan Times. “The people will be paying the market price
for oil products.”
The initiative, originally projected to occur under a phased lifting of
subsidies over a four- to five-year period, has apparently been accelerated to
take place over a two-year timeframe. The final removal, according to Kanakria,
is slated to occur sometime early this year.
But Ibrahim, who has never heard of a government plan to remove subsidies, said
he had been forced to take drastic measures to heat his home and feed his
family.
“I sold off my wife’s jewellery to get money, but it’s not enough,” he lamented.
“I’m now JD5,000 in debt to my neighbours. I am forced to borrow — my family
depends on it.”
The effects of the reforms and an apparent lack of advertising of the
programme’s timetable and objectives have drawn scrutiny from economists and
members of civil society.
Yusuf Mansur, a local economist, said the enormous financial burden of the
“elimination of oil grants from Iraq and Saudi Arabia” and a simultaneous
increase in “world oil prices” — once assumed by the government — is
effectively being passed on to citizens as subsidies are lifted.
He believes the government’s reform initiative has not given enough
consideration to the economic welfare of citizens in the Kingdom, which hosts
roughly 850,000 people living under the poverty line and an unemployment rate
of 15.5 per cent, according to government figures.
“Has the government been clear about fuel subsidies and prices? No,” said
Mansur. “Has there been enough public debate on this subject? I don’t think so.
Has the government clearly announced the breakdown of prices and aid? Again, the
answer is No.”
The reform initiative is taking a heavy toll on Abu Ahmad, a 43-year-old truck
driver from Aqaba.
“It’s affected me a lot. It costs me JD8 every three days to heat my house,” he
said, adding it was an increase of around one-third of what he was paying a
year ago.
Even though his house in Aqaba requires less kerosene to heat compared to colder
areas of the country, Abu Ahmad said escalating fuel costs are depriving him of
income for his five children.
“It’s harder to feed my children, even if I work all day and all night,” Abu
Ahmad told The Jordan Times, adding that he receives no financial assistance
from the government.
“I’m considering making a move to Dubai to find better paying work,” he said.
In order to offset some of the side effects of this programme, the government
intends to set aside JD65 million in next year’s budget. “These cash subsidies
for families will be available to help them accommodate the higher prices,”
Kanakria said. He did not elaborate further.
Despite repeated attempts to contact the concerned ministries, The Jordan Times
was unable to obtain detailed information of the compensation strategy.
But Mohammad Obeidat, president of the National Society for Consumer Protection,
said the system to disperse funding to low-income families is confusing and may
not be enough to dampen the effects of a surge in the price of oil derivatives,
particularly in light of increasing demand resulting from the influx of up to
800,000 Iraqis.
“There is no real organised system to promote and bring special assistance
programmes to the people,” Obeidat told The Jordan Times. “It’s very
complicated… People don’t understand it; I don’t understand the system,” he
added.
For Ibrahim, government policy was of little concern — his thoughts were with
his family in Ruseifa and his struggling bakery business. “I receive JD75 a
month from the government, but it doesn’t cover my needs or my family’s
needs... I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”
(From: Stuart Schoenfeld)
Israeli company discovers oil at drilling site near the Dead Sea
By The Associated Press and Haaretz Service
An Israeli company has discovered a small amount of oil at a drilling site near
the Dead Sea, raising hopes that Israel could one day join its regional
neighbors as a petroleum producer.
Initial tests have found that the site would yield between 100 to 150 barrels
daily, said Eli Tannenbaum, geologist for the Ginko oil exploration company.
While this is minuscule by global standards - No. 1 producer Saudi Arabia
produces 9 million barrels a day - Tannenbaum said there are signs that larger
amounts of crude are nearby.
"There is high pressure and there was a flow yesterday, there was a free flow...
All this is evidence that there is oil there," Tannenbaum said.
He said the company also found a hydrocarbon, or oil, trap about 2 kilometers
(1.2 miles) north of the original site. "It appears there will also be oil
there in much higher quantities," Tannenbaum said.
Ginko, a private company, will begin drilling in the second location in the
coming months, he said.
Ginko abandoned the original drilling site in 1997 when oil prices were about
$15-$20 a barrel. It revisited the site recently because oil prices have
quadrupled since then, Tannenbaum said.
Energy expert Amir Mor said hundreds of thousands of abandoned oil fields
worldwide have been revisited in recent years due to the spike in prices, which
can make it profitable to produce even a few hundreds barrels of oil.
However, he said, it was unlikely the new Dead Sea location would yield more
than a few hundred - possibly a few thousand - barrels a day. Strategically,
this is meaningless to Israel - which consumes about 220,000 barrels of oil
daily, Mor added.
Israel has produced only 20 million barrels of oil in the last half-century -
less than what the Saudis produce every three days.
(From: Stuart Schoenfeld )
Subject: Palestinian Authority - Israel fuel deal: Al Jazeera, Jordan Times, Haaretz
Hamas in Israel fuel deal Al-Jazeera
Thursday 05 October 2006, 19:45 Makka Time, 16:45 GMT
Abu Eisheh, interim Hamas finance minister, signed the deal
The Hamas-led government has signed a contract with a new Israeli oil supplier
to provide fuel to the Palestinian territories.
Samir Abu Eisheh, the interim finance minister, said on Thursday that the
Palestinian government had signed a contract with Paz, a private Israeli
company, to replace Dor Alon, the firm which has provided fuel to Gaza and the
West Bank for 12 years.
"We signed the agreement several days ago after more than four months of
negotiations," Abu Eisheh said
The deal comes despite the Israeli government's refusal to deal with the
Hamas-led administration, headed by what Israel and many Western countries
consider a terrorist organisation.
"We negotiated with three companies, including Dor Alon, and we managed to
improve the terms of the contract in reducing the margin of the new supplier
which will begin supplies at the start of next year," Abu Eisheh said.
Interrupted supplies
A Paz spokeswoman confirmed that the contract had been signed and would come
into effect in January 2007.
Abu Eisheh said the contract would allow the Palestinian treasury to save $17m a
year over the terms of the old contract with Dor Alon.
Dor Alon has frequently interrupted supplies owing to unpaid bills by the
Palestinian government, which is on the verge of bankruptcy due to the
suspension of aid and Israel's decision to withhold millions of dollars in
taxes.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2C6EC050-A136-4504-94CA-E71651B168F3.htm
Israeli fuel firm strikes deal with Hamas gov’t Jordan Times
(AP) — An Israeli fuel company on Thursday said it has reached an agreement to
supply gasoline to the Palestinians, the first major business transaction
between an Israeli firm and the Hamas-led Palestinian government.
The Paz Oil Co.'s deal underscored Israel's substantial business interests in
the Palestinian areas, which have continued despite the Israeli government's
crippling sanctions against the Islamic Hamas. Officials on both sides conceded
that when it comes to doing business, they are ready to put politics aside.
"This is the first formal agreement the current government has signed with an
Israeli company," said Ismail Mahfouz of Hamas, the Palestinian deputy finance
minister. It comes just a day after frustrated Palestinians lined up at gas
stations because of a sudden West Bank fuel shortage, the result of a dispute
between their government and the present Israeli supplier — underlining how
dependent the Palestinians are on the Israelis.
Israel and the West imposed its sanctions on Hamas after the group won
legislative elections and took power last March. Israel, the US and European
Union consider Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide
bombings, a terrorist group.
Israel has withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes collected on behalf
of the Palestinians. It also has frequently closed the main cargo crossing into
the Gaza Strip, preventing goods from moving in and out of the area, citing
security concerns and planned attacks by Palestinian fighters. In June, gunmen
linked to Hamas tunnelled into Israel, attacked an army base and captured a
soldier stationed along the Gaza border.
Despite the crackdown, business contacts have continued.
Israel is the main supplier of dairy products, food items and fuel to the
Palestinians, while state-run monopolies such as the Israeli electricity and
water companies also continue to serve them.
Some of these dealings, such as providing power, are motivated by humanitarian
concerns. But many others, including Paz's deal with the state-run Palestinian
fuel authority, are focused purely on the bottom line.
"There are three million Palestinians, who regardless of their political views
need water, electricity and fuel," said Moudi Ben-Shach, Paz's chief executive.
"We for many years wanted to do this, and now we have." Under the deal, Paz will
become the exclusive supplier of gasoline in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on
January 1. Paz will replace Dor Alon, the Israeli company that has been
providing fuel to the Palestinians under a contract reached before Hamas took
power.
Ben-Shach declined to release details of the deal, but said the terms are more
favourable to the Palestinians than the previous arrangement. "It's very
positive for them and us," he said.
A contract dispute between the Palestinian fuel authority and Dor Alon led to
the gasoline shortages in the West Bank and Gaza this week, though supplies
appeared to be replenished on Thursday.
In the West Bank town of Ramallah, the Palestinians' acting finance minister,
Samir Abuaishi, proudly trumpeted the Paz deal as a victory in Hamas' campaign
to clean up the government.
"I am always ready to sit with any Israeli counterpart to discuss services for
our people," he said at a news conference, claiming the fuel deal would save
the government close to $18 million a year.
The Palestinian fuel industry has been widely linked to corruption. Abuaishi
said he had received a death threat late Wednesday night because of the fuel
deal.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/news/news5.htm
Paz strikes deal to refine crude oil for the Palestinian Authority
04.10.06 | 19:30 By Sharon Kedmi Haaretz
The Paz energy company has struck a deal to refine fuels for the Palestinian
Authority at its refinery in Ashdod, TheMarker has learned.
The agreement was only finalized in the past few days.
The Palestinian Authority will import crude straight to the Ashdod refinery,
which Paz just bought last week for NIS 3.5 billion.
Paz will refine the crude oil and deliver the products and distillates to the
Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinian Authority means to import oil mainly from the Gulf states, which
are expected to give it attractive prices.
Paz, which belongs to Zadik Bino, yesterday confirmed that negotiations with the
Palestinians were taking place.
In essence Paz is taking over where Dor-Alon (TASE: DRAL) left off. On the eve
of Yom Kippur, Dor-Alon admitted in an announcement to the Tel Aviv Stock
Exchange that the Palestinian Authority will cease buying gasoline and gas from
it from the start of 2007.
Dor-Alon had refused to sweeten the terms of sale to the Palestinians, it
explained. But the Palestinian withdrawal is a blow to the Israeli company, as
the PA had been responsible for about 40% of its income.
Dor-Alon had been supplying the Palestinians with fuel since 1994. Two years ago
the parties extended their agreement by five years and at present, Dor-Alon is
the sole supplier of fuels to the Palestinian Authority.
Each month the Palestinian Authority buys 50 million liters of gasoline and
diesel from Israel.
Paz refused to comment for this report.
(From: Stuart Schoenfeld)
Subject: - UN: Daily Star
Donors may contribute solar-power apparatus for new homes - UN
By Lysandra Ohrstrom
Daily Star staff
Friday, October 06, 2006
BEIRUT: At least three international donors are considering using a portion of
reconstruction aid to finance the installation of renewable energy units in
newly built residences in Southern Lebanon. A project manager from the United
Nations Development Program's (UNDP) energy efficiency branch - which works in
coordination with the Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW) - declined to name
the countries or organizations currently reviewing proposals, but said two
embassies and one global NGO have shown interest in funding the $12 million
project.
"What we are doing now is trying to secure at least partial donations to install
12,000 solar thermal water-heating units, rather than electric heaters, in homes
that have been destroyed in Southern villages," Anwar Nour Ali told The Daily
Star in a phone interview.
"We also want all reconstructed houses in the South and buildings in the Dahiyeh
to use energy-efficient lamps which are affordable and not a big investment, but
contractors want to save money so they use the cheapest ones possible," Ali
said, adding that the LL4,000-LL5,000 lamps will result in an 80 percent saving
for consumers. The MoEW estimates that solar water-heating systems would reduce
each homeowner's electricity bill by 25-30 percent.
Earlier this year the Order of Engineers and Architects began requiring that all
newly designed houses be equipped for solar water heaters in order to obtain
construction permits. Building schematics must include provisions for where and
how a solar water heater can be installed and connected to the plumbing system.
Similar regulations were not extended to apartment complexes, since the
installation of solar panels on the roofs of multi-owner buildings is
problematic in the absence of government legislation, but new standards do
require contractors to install plumbing large enough to allow for the future
installation of solar heating units.
The UNDP is also promoting a third proposal for the windows, walls and roofs of
new apartment buildings in the southern suburbs to be constructed on an
energy-efficient basis, though Ali said they are not focusing on the project.
The Energy Research Group (ERG) at AUB is in the progress of completing a report
on using solar water heaters in reconstructed residences. They estimate that the
residential sector accounts for 38 percent of Lebanon's annual energy
consumption - with electric water heaters using the most power per household
after air conditioners and space heaters - but the absence of a comprehensive
energy efficiency strategy has hindered the adoption of such technology in the
past.
If obstacles like high initial procurement costs and lack of trained installers
and import legislation are overcome, ERG concludes in its draft report that
installing domestic solar water heating units might reduce the need to build
new power plants.
Zakaria Rammel, a representative from the MoEW, confirmed that the ministry is
coordinating with the UNDP on securing donors for a domestic renewable energy
program in Southern villages, but he was not able to verify the details of the
proposals before The Daily Star went to press.
"We are working with the UNDP on this, but it shouldn't be seen as a
reconstruction donation because the Chinese had already donated solar panels
last year, but unfortunately during the war at least half of these were
destroyed," Rammel said. "We are asking them to replace these and possibly
install more," he said.
Ali gave no time frame for the project, but said it will not be feasible for at
least 18 months since units cannot be installed until houses are built.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=75959
From: Stuart Schoenfeld
Jerusalem Post
Weizmann Institute looks to alternative energy future
Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, THE JERUSALEM POST Sep. 26, 2006
An ambitious multidisciplinary research initiative into alternative, sustainable
energy resources is being launched by the Weizmann Institute of Science, with
the goal of significantly advancing the search for solutions to the world's
most pressing energy problems. The Rehovot institute plans to raise significant
funds for its Initiative for Research in Sustainable and Alternative Energy,
which will support innovative scientific projects in the field.
"Developing alternative means of producing energy is a necessary step for
dealing with the continuing energy crisis," says institute president Prof. Ilan
Chet. "Creating fresh, sustainable methods of producing energy in the required
amounts will only be possible if we can gain the knowledge to invent completely
new technologies. The Weizmann Institute has an obligation to take a lead in the
global effort in this field. We believe we can help shape the planet's future."
Among the major global energy challenges confronting researchers and
policymakers is the sharp rise in demand for energy in recent years, fueled by
rapidly rising standards of living and expanding populations, especially in
China and India. Experts predict that if nothing is done to change current
patterns, energy demand will rise nearly 60 percent by the year 2030.
In addition, non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuel are running out,
petroleum-based fuel supplies could be held hostage to political upheavals,
affecting the peace and security of Israel and the entire world, and the
continuing upward spiral of oil prices threatens the stability of the global
economy. Burning fossil fuels is a major cause of air pollution and increases
the accumulation of greenhouse gasses in the upper atmosphere, which may
already be causing global warming.
As Weizmann Institute scientists are concerned about this state of affairs, said
Chet on Tuesday, several of them have committed themselves to help search for
solutions.
Chemistry faculty dean Prof. Mordechai Sheves added: "The special nature of the
Weizmann Institute, with its emphasis on multidisciplinary scientific
cooperation, makes it one of the most promising places to pursue such
solutions."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1159193323320&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter