Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan signed personal orders for the CEO of the Israel Electric Corporation on Sunday, requiring filtering technology installed in coal-fired power stations.By 2016, all of the country’s coal-fired power plants will have to have filtering technology. The two in Hadera and Ashkelon will receive filters, while the older one in Haifa will be shut down.A second planned coal-fired power plant in Ashkelon, known as Project D, was recently converted to a natural gas powered generator with a coal backup.Such measures are expected to reduce air pollution by 5 percentage points to 40% and are therefore of farreaching significance, Erdan said. They are also expected to generate $2 billion in savings as people’s health improves and fewer medical treatments and procedures are needed.Installing the filters will require shutting down the coal-fired power plants, so the work is being spaced out over the next five years to prevent power outages.The personal orders were signed after a lengthy negotiation process that included all of the relevant governmental and NGO players, as well as a public hearing, the ministry said.Israel lagged 10 to 20 years behind permitted outputs from coal-fired power plants compared to Europe, Erdan said.The orders were crafted in line with the newest European directive and have been designed to bring Israel in line with global trends, he said.
