(haipo) – The Steering Committee and the Haifa Bay Development Administration published their activity summary report for 2025, alongside the work plan for 2026. The report shows that the national project to transform Haifa Bay has entered its practical stages, with a transition from regulatory and planning processes to the permitting, construction and implementation stages. Alongside the progress, the report points to delays in critical energy infrastructure, which require interim solutions to meet the government goal: cessation of petrochemical industry activity in the bay by 2029.
"The attacks on the Bazan have heightened the urgency": a call to accelerate preparedness
Prof. Avi Simhon, Head of the National Economic Council and Chairman of the Steering Committee, emphasizes that the events of the "Kalavi" war and the damage to the BAZN illustrated the risk of continuing petrochemical industry activity in the Gulf: "The existence of the BAZN not only harms the development of the Haifa metropolis, but also jeopardizes Israel's energy continuity. The construction of alternative facilities must be expedited in order to meet the 2029 target."
According to him, the new facilities are needed not only for the purpose of clearing waste, but also to improve the resilience of the energy sector.
Delays in energy infrastructure: Some facilities will only be operational in 2031
Yuval Admon, Head of the Haifa Bay Development Authority, notes that, like other mega-projects, there have been delays in the schedules here too. Two major facilities: a facility for storing and distributing 550,000 tons of distillates in the north and a facility for storing and distributing 20,000 tons of LPG at the "Yavor" site, including a marine connector, are not expected to begin operating until 2031.
However, Admon emphasizes that the government's goal does not change: "We will create interim solutions that will enable full readiness for 2029, using existing infrastructure that has proven itself during the war."
New Bay: Residence, Employment, and a Metropolitan Park
In accordance with Government Decision 1231 (March 2022), the strategic plan includes:
- Construction of over 100,000 housing units
- Construction of 12 million square meters of advanced industry, offices, commerce and tourism
- Developing advanced transportation solutions
- Establishment of a 6,000-dunam metropolitan park along the Kishon River
The current report is the third in a series, as part of an annual transparency policy.
2026: A Decisive Year – From Preparation to Execution
The director's activities in the coming year will focus on 3 main axes:
- Completion of statutory and bureaucratic processes – most of them have already been completed, but full closure of all approvals is required.
- Accelerating the construction of energy infrastructure – with an emphasis on the years 2027–2029.
- Formulation of interim solutions – to enable energy continuity until the completion of the later facilities.
The impact of the "Kalavi" war: the damage to the Bazan and the lessons for the fuel economy
The "Kalavi" war (June 2025) resulted in significant damage to the Haifa BAZN, which shut down its operations for two weeks. Despite this, there was no shortage of distillates or LPG, thanks to existing stocks and alternative infrastructure.
Prof. Simhon notes that the event illustrated the need for a change in perception: "Instead of relying on importing crude oil and refining it in Israel, large stocks of end products, distillates and LPG should be maintained in a distributed and protected manner."
Looking ahead: 2029 target maintained
Despite the challenges, the steering committee and administration emphasize that the government's goal, to cease petrochemical industry activity in Haifa Bay by 2029, remains in place.
The report concludes that 2026 will be a critical transition year, in which the project will begin to move from planning to the field, while creating solutions that will ensure that the energy sector meets national goals.
The whole article is just a bunch of nonsense. None of this will happen in the coming years, and certainly not 100000 housing units on contaminated and poisoned land. We are already used to such falsehoods and have to learn from experience to understand.
A delusional, irresponsible article that spreads dreams that were never meant to come true from the start, just thinking about the lack of diesel and plastic that the world is now begging for, and relying on stocks that will be depleted during war and later an embargo. And then... we will do it and surely later we will set up a commission of inquiry, but then it will be too late.
Exactly the opposite!!
The amazing functioning of society under war
Fast and professional treatment in extreme cases such as ballistic missile strikes
And the energy freedom that we gave to the IDF and Israel
They provide proof that all the scaremongering by Mr. Shimchon and the corrupt government does not match reality.
I have a feeling that this is an article from the world of imagination... ZAN is in a development boom and it does not seem to mean going out on the contrary to the development and construction of all kinds of facilities.
The gas plants should have been evacuated a long time ago... I don't understand where the person who handles "environmental quality" in the Haifa municipality is.
Where is the mayor on this???
It all comes down to the decisions of Shakarniahu. Destroying the country for the sake of his own survival and even his name.. Relying on the support of countless delusional people in the population
In the Middle East…we are on the map and we will stay on the map…the Iranians will not move us! Neither will the Israeli government…
Unfortunately, until a national disaster occurs, no immediate lessons are drawn. This is the norm for Israeli governments. Then they will demand a commission of inquiry, when the naked truth stands before us and cries out against deaf ears.