The water company Mekorot intends to invest in small power plants at several sites nationwide, enabling the supply of energy to water pumps. This was stated by Danny Soffer, acting CEO of Mekorot.
The remarks were made during the Energy Summit of the Israeli Energy and Environment Institute. Soffer reminded attendees that Mekorot is the largest civilian electricity consumer in Israel, with 3%–4% of national electricity demand used for the operation of the water sector.
The move toward power plants will be carried out in cooperation with business entities, including the Israel Electric Corporation itself. Soffer said that over the past three years the water sector has faced several challenges across the country, while water supply has continued uninterrupted. Another initiative by Mekorot is the covering of water transmission pipelines in order to utilize the freed-up land for various purposes, including agricultural cultivation or the installation of solar charging stations.
According to him, “With the support of Energy Minister Eli Cohen and in cooperation with Noga Electricity System Management, which plans the electricity supply system, we will enter the planning of independent electricity production, whose dependence on the national grid will be lower than it is today. This will add redundancy and allow the water sector to operate even in the absence of electricity from the grid for any reason. It will enable us to supply water, a product that cannot be done without.”