A new 100 MW wind energy project is slated for northern Israel.
In the wake of the Israeli government’s support for a major wind farm on the Golan Heights, plans are underway for a similar project in the Galilee region, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported. Measurements in the Galilee indicate that the wind is less powerful than in the Golan – though the Galilee is also less likely to be swept up in a political tempest vis-à-vis Syria.
As reported here earlier, the Golan wind farm will be built on land owned by local Druze residents. Similarly, agreements are being forged with Druze landowners in the Galilee (near Jatt) for deploying an array of wind turbines capable of generating a total of about 100 MW of electricity.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the Ministry of National Infrastructure seeks to declare the Galilee plan – like the planned wind farm in the Golan – a national infrastructure project, which would help expedite the planning approvals. Objections are anticipated from environmentalists because of the potential danger the wind turbines would pose to the flocks of migratory birds that pass through this area.
Minister of National Infrastructure Uzi Landau: “In accordance with the ministry’s policy of preferring wind energy, whose cost of production is significantly low and offers the benefit of adding clean and green energy to the electricity economy, we will continue to mobilize to invest every effort to remove obstacles, to locate additional sites and to promote sources of employment in the North.”
Image via Marc Smith
:: Yedioth Ahronoth
:: Jerusalem Post
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Author: Ira Moskowitz
When his kids were small, Ira would point to litter on the ground and tell them: “That makes me angry!” He still gets angry about pollution, waste and abusive treatment of our world, but is encouraged by the growing awareness of environmental issues and has been following the latest developments in cleantech with great interest. Ira grew up in the green hills of western Massachusetts and moved to Israel in the early 1980s after completing an MA in Middle Eastern Studies. He has worked as a software developer and journalist, and translates works of Hebrew fiction and non-fiction to English. Ira is trying to age gracefully, but refuses to surrender his youthful belief in the potential for change, including a collaborative future for the peoples of the Middle East. To contact Ira, email ira (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
