The evacuation of factories in Haifa Bay will be postponed by six months, as of March 2025 • Watch

(Haipo) – Following Government Decision No. 1231 of March 2022, which established the strategic framework for the development of Haifa Bay, today (Thursday, 13/3/25) the Steering and Management Committee for the Development of Haifa Bay presented the activity summary report for 2024 and the work plan for 2025.

The Steering and Administrative Committee for Haifa Bay Development presented the activity summary report for 2024 and the planning for 2025. The team is headed by Prof. Avi Simhon, Chairman of the National Economic Council, and by his side is Yuval Admon, Head of the Administration.

"The beginning of a revolution"

"The Haifa metropolis is at the beginning of a revolution," Simhon declared, "and will eventually become a prosperous metropolitan city with over a million and a half residents and will constitute an economic and social anchor for the entire north. The 'Iron Swords' War only emphasized the urgency of decentralization and protecting the country's vital energy infrastructure."

The challenges of the past year and tasks for the future

2024 was also a particularly challenging year for the Haifa Bay Authority. The war brought many disruptions, while key personnel were drafted into the reserves, which added to the delays that were beginning to accumulate. However, the Authority maintained a steady progress track, with 33 of the 52 work packages planned for this year being completed on time. Now, the effort is focused on next year – 2025, when 50 work packages will be carried out by 14 different bodies. Most of the planned tasks are regulatory and planning phases, without which the actual work cannot begin.

In fact, the decisions made this year will directly affect the ability to meet the final goal - ceasing the petrochemical industry's activities in 2029.

Critical Bottlenecks

The report identifies a number of major barriers that could cause significant delays, including: Construction of a storage site for distillates with a capacity of 550,000 tons in the north, construction of a 20,000-ton LPG storage facility at Yavor, planning and implementation of a maritime link for the import of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) off Yavor.

Yuval Edmon emphasized: "Due to the delays that have occurred, the energy sector readiness date has been postponed, for now, to the first half of 2030, but every effort will be made to converge back to 2029 as the maximum target."

A glimpse into the future: the new Haifa Bay

The vision for Haifa Bay goes far beyond closing the refineries. The government aims to transform the area into an advanced economic center, including 100,000 new housing units, 12 million square meters of industrial and commercial space, a sprawling 6,000-dunam metropolitan park, and advanced transportation solutions and upgraded railway infrastructure.

Among the projects expected to be carried out in 2025: the establishment of the "Eagle Lakes" park, the development of the salting complex in the park downstream of the Kishon River, the electrification of the railway tracks, the evacuation of the container farm in Haifa, and the doubling of the railway tracks between Tel Aviv and Haifa.

Is it a realistic goal?

The road to change is long and fraught with challenges, but there is no doubt that Haifa Bay is marching toward a different future – cleaner, safer, and economically prosperous. The eyes of the state are on the Haifa Bay Development Authority, hoping that it will succeed in meeting its goals and bringing about the historic change that so many are expecting.

If all goes as planned, in just five years we will be able to see Haifa Bay as a spectacular blend of innovation, a green environment, and a thriving economy – a far cry from the polluting industry that defines the region today.

Prof. Avi Simhon, Head of the National Economic Council and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Strategic Plan for the Development of Haifa Bay: "The Haifa metropolis is at the beginning of a revolution, at the end of which it will include over a million and a half residents and will constitute an economic and social base for strengthening the entire northern region. The Iron Swords War emphasized the need for rapid implementation of the plan due to the need to disperse and protect the energy products that drive the economy and the economy."

Yuval Admon, Head of the Haifa Bay Development Authority and Deputy Head of the National Economic Council in the Prime Minister's Office: "We are working at full speed to meet the goal we set for ourselves of preparing the energy sector to cease petrochemical industry activity in Haifa Bay by the end of 2029. The year 2024 was complex and challenging, and I thank the dozens of partners in the government, local government, and civil society for their professional and substantive cooperation."

Avihu Hahn, Chairman of the Haifa Bay Cities Association for Environmental Protection, Deputy and Acting Mayor of Haifa, in response to the 2024 report of the Haifa Bay Development Directorate in the Prime Minister's Office: The delay in implementing the decision to remove polluting industries, primarily ZEN, from Haifa Bay endangers the country's energy security and costs human lives.

He said: "The refineries constitute a security failure point, as a single missile attack is enough to paralyze Israel's entire oil infrastructure. Switching from oil refining to importing distillates will allow for the decentralization of distillate storage and expansion of supply sources, and will not require the use of dangerous methods of transferring oil from ship to ship at sea in an emergency, when one mistake could result in major pollution."

Every day that passes and this does not happen places the residents of Haifa Bay in a security danger, alongside the infection and morbidity whose consequences we encounter in oncology departments and cemeteries.

The Prime Minister's Office and the Haifa Bay Development Authority must not be satisfied with reports, but must act decisively, with a knife between their teeth, to immediately advance the solutions that will enable the evacuation of the factories in accordance with the established timetables. First and foremost, they must work to establish facilities for storing LPG and distillates and to establish a distillate port.

The Haifa Bay Cities Association for Environmental Protection will work to hold an emergency discussion in cooperation with all authorities in the bay area, in order to promote joint activity demanding the immediate implementation of the decision to evacuate polluting industries from Haifa Bay."