Haifa—Based on a decision made March 1 by Israel’s Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan and Industry and Trade Minister Shalom Simhon, the Haifa Chemicals ammonia storage facility will be moved. The directors general of the two ministries will decide on an alternative location in the coming months, apparently in the Negev region in southern Israel. Haifa Chemicals has a plant in Mishor Rotem. No timetable for closing the existing facility or opening a new one was announced. “The two ministries will find an acceptable solution that meets the industrial needs of the local industry on the one hand but also takes into account environmental and security needs of the country,” said Simhon. Ammonia is currently imported via the port of Haifa for the use of Haifa Chemicals. A team of experts recommended that the new facility produce the ammonia locally using abundant natural gas that has been discovered off Israel’s Mediterranean coast in recent years. Late last year Ratio Oil Exploration said it was considering building an ammonia plant in the northern Negev region to utilize natural gas from the Leviathan offshore field, which was discovered in December 2010 and has estimated reserves of 16 trillion cubic feet. The plant, with a cost estimate of $500 million, would be able to meet all domestic needs and export as well. The current facility, which stores 12,000 metric tons, has met with strong opposition from environmental groups and the Haifa Municipality due to its location in a metropolitan area. A commission appointed following the 2006 war in Lebanon recommended improved protection of the facility and the banning of the entry of vessels transporting ammonia into Haifa port during war time. In 2010 a team of experts from government ministries and private consulting firms studied various alternatives and found that the facility was well protected by international standards, but was located closer to population centers than is customary. The team recommended that an ammonia production plant be set up to supply the needs of the local fertilizer and other industries. Officials at the Environmental Protection and Industry and Trade Ministries said that the determining factor was the fear of missile attacks in the Haifa region, and that was the main reason for the decision to shut the facility down and find an alternative location.
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