The Haifa District Court has rejected an appeal by Haifa Chemicals against a lower court decision ordering the closure of its ammonia storage facility in Haifa. The court ruled that the facility is to be completely emptied by April 1 and that no new vessels of ammonia will be allowed to supply it in the interim. The judge ruled that the chances of an accident that could lead to the deaths of hundreds and possibly thousands had to be taken into account.
Last week Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry decided not to renew Haifa Chemicals’ permit for hazardous materials and ordered the facility to be shut down by June 1. The permit expires March 1. The ministry said the facility would be allowed to operate until then though no additional unloading of imported ammonia will be permitted unless there are insufficient supplies to meet domestic demand. However, it is unclear what alternatives will be proposed for meeting domestic demand going forward.