(haipo) Following the publication of the draft planning and building order seeking to expand the exemption from the permit for the rehabilitation of facilities damaged in the ZANN complex, and after the extent of the damage caused to the complex was revealed to the public, the Haifa Bay Cities Association for Environmental Protection and Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav warn that the state is missing an opportunity for strategic change and continues to perpetuate a dangerous dependence on a petrochemical complex in the heart of a crowded metropolis.
Rehabilitation by 2028 – only three years before the evacuation date
The published documents indicate that the full restoration of the Bazan complex is expected to be completed only in 2028, about three years from now, and only about three years before the date of the complex's evacuation in 2031, in accordance with the government's decision. The Haifa Bay Cities Association for Environmental Protection emphasizes that this figure requires a reexamination of the investment in the rehabilitation of the complex itself, instead of concentrating efforts and resources on promoting its evacuation and establishing safe and distributed energy alternatives. The association calls on the Israeli government to stop the expansion of planning exemptions, to accelerate the evacuation of the Bazan complex from Haifa Bay, and to implement without delay a national strategy for the dispersion of energy infrastructure in Israel.
Union Chairman Avihu Hahn: "Perpetuating the problem instead of changing direction"
Deputy and Acting Mayor of Haifa and Chairman of the Haifa Bay Cities Association for Environmental Protection, Avihu Hahn, He said: "The true picture of the situation has been revealed to the public. The extent of the damage at the Bazan illustrates clearly and distinctly what we have been warning about for years, that it is impossible to base the energy security of the State of Israel on one vulnerable and dangerous complex, located in the heart of a civilian population. When the state itself estimates that the reconstruction will last until 2028, while the evacuation of the complex is set for 2031, we must ask whether it is right to invest billions in the reconstruction of infrastructure that is supposed to be evacuated within a few years. Instead of drawing conclusions and changing direction, the government is choosing to invest again in the reconstruction of the same failure through planning concessions. This is not a strategy and is in fact perpetuating the problem."
Hahn added that "the issuance of the order cannot be a substitute for strategic thinking. The events of recent months have illustrated the heavy price of concentrating essential energy infrastructure in one complex. It is time to make a courageous national decision that places the safety of residents, national resilience, and the continuity of the energy sector above temporary solutions of rehabilitation and regulatory relief."
The association's CEO: "A resilient energy economy relies on infrastructure distribution"
CEO of the Haifa Bay Cities Association for Environmental Protection, Dr. Lihi Shahar Berman, said: "The professional lesson is clear: a resilient energy economy relies on infrastructure dispersion, operational redundancy and risk reduction, not on the repeated rehabilitation of damaged facilities. If the timetables indicate that the complex will be restored almost until the date of its evacuation, it would be more appropriate to direct investments today to establishing alternative infrastructure, distributed and protected storage facilities, and to accelerate the implementation of the government's decision to evacuate the petrochemical industry from Haifa Bay."
Mayor Yona Yahav: "Bazan is a strategic risk center for hundreds of thousands of residents"
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav He also referred to the publication about the extent of the damage caused to the Bazan complex by the Iranian missile strikes and said: "The publication should turn on a red light for everyone who trusts the security of Israeli citizens and residents of Haifa and the region. Once again, it becomes clear that the Bazan complex is a strategic risk center for hundreds of thousands of residents of Haifa and the Haifa metropolitan area, and it will not help what stories and fables they try to sell us."
Yahav added: "For years I have been warning about the dangers inherent in the concentration of petrochemical industrial facilities in the heart of an area populated by hundreds of thousands of residents, and especially in the presence of a falcon in the area. The recent wars have illustrated most clearly that facilities of this type are a major target for attack, and that any attack on them could lead to serious risks for the residents, the environment, and the entire economy."
Yahav calls on the government: "Stop perpetuating and accelerate the evacuation"
The mayor of Haifa added: "If the state is now required to invest years in rehabilitating facilities that are supposed to be evacuated anyway, this is exactly the time to make a courageous and responsible decision: to stop investing in perpetuating the existing situation and immediately accelerate the evacuation of the Bazan complex from Haifa Bay." Yahav called on the Israeli government to uphold its decision, shorten the timelines and act immediately to promote the evacuation of Bazan and the rest of the petrochemical industry from the bay.
"The safety, health and quality of life of the residents of Haifa and the north cannot continue to be held hostage by dangerous facilities in the heart of the metropolis, and by business interests that do not put the public good at the center," Yahav emphasized, adding that "the Haifa Municipality under my leadership will continue to stand at the forefront of the struggle for the future of Haifa Bay and for the right of the residents of the region to live in a safer, healthier and cleaner environment."
"The dogs bark and the caravan moves on"
It won't work then, enough for grinding water. In Europe, refineries are located near cities, and so are we here. Oh, why aren't we in Europe? And in the ongoing security situation, the refineries will remain in the Gulf for another 20 years, so enough.
The government decision has an appendix that includes conditions for ensuring the functional continuity of the energy sector when petrochemical activity is discontinued.
These are significant investments and significant projects in themselves. Those who approved the required rehabilitation of the Bazan probably understand that it will take the state many years to realize the projects.
In those years, it was more reasonable to rely on the state-owned oil company than to consciously harm the continuity of the energy supply to the economy. Such harm is more significant than the scheming of a failed mayor whose city has garbage disposal sites operating and burning without any licensing.
You made me laugh, Bazan will continue to be one of the pillars of the State of Israel in the energy sector, for at least another 20 years, so enough of the chatter on the internet.
One who understands.
You're right. The oil and petrochemical industry exists all over the world. These days we've seen their vitality and their proximity to the sea.
Everyone who pulled the trigger for the closure, and the construction of residential buildings and shopping malls, does not understand the danger of the closure. The interests of the real estate developers need to be examined…
It's all about money. They want to lower the value of the land through biased advertisements. It's forbidden to harm the Bazan. Thousands of families make a living from these people. You can see how important they were in the war. I hope the state won't let them be harmed.
Everything is done with the goal of people interested in real estate.