What are some of the issues with oil shale extraction in the Negev?
BUSTAN works to raise awareness that 72,000 Bedouin citizens of Israel don’t have access to the power grid in Israel. Israel’s energy policy is becoming increasingly exclusive. We see four different processes in the Negev, 1) the construction of a shale oil refinery an extremely expensive technology, that requires the extraction ofkerogen from rock highly water-intensive process, this is being toted as Israel’s new Green Alternative. Secondly, the privatization of the Israeli Electric Company, several of the turbines have already been sold off in Haifa and Ashdod. There is little discussion of privatization, there is continued destruction of the public system and people are being forced to live off the grid. Thirdly, plans to create a nuclear power plant are moving forward. Lastly, natural gas is being developed, slightly less expensive than coal that is imported from as far away as Australia to Israel. But all of this will require significant resources. We’re concerned about what need
