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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Israel
Index
Figure 8. Economic Activity, 1988
A Israeli-invented Koffler nuclear accelerator at the
Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot
Courtesy Embassy of Israel, Washington
Solar energy absorbers used in producing electricity
Courtesy Embassy of Israel, Washington
Israel depends almost totally on imported fuel for its energy
requirements; domestic production of crude petroleum and natural
gas is negligible. After the June 1967 War, Israel acquired a large
portion of its oil supply from captured Egyptian fields in the
Sinai Peninsula. In 1979 these fields were returned to Egypt.
Exploration within Israel was continuing in the mid-1980s, with
interest centered on the Dead Sea and northern Negev areas, as well
as in the Helez region along the coastal plain near Ashqelon
(see
fig. 8). Despite having spent about US$250 million between 1975 and
1985 searching for oil, Israel remained almost devoid of domestic
energy sources. By 1986 domestic and foreign oil exploration in
Israel ground to a near halt, although Occidental Petroleum (headed
by Armand Hammer) continued its seismic studies in preparation for
future drilling.
Because of the failure to find economically worthwhile deposits
of fossil fuels, Israel has devoted large sums to developing other
energy sources, particularly solar energy. In fact, Israel has long
been an acknowledged leader in this field. Overall, the structure
of Israel's energy economy has changed considerably since 1973.
Between 1982 and 1984, about 50 percent of Israel's electricity
came from coal. By 1985 oil-to-coal conversion programs made coal
the source of 17 percent of Israel's primary energy. It appeared
unlikely in 1988 that a major improvement in Israel's energy
balance would occur.
The Arab oil embargo and the Iranian Islamic Revolution have
forced Israel to diversify both its coal and oil imports. In 1986
Israel's major sources of coal were Australia, South Africa, and
Britain. The bulk of Israel's oil came from Mexico and Egypt.
Data as of December 1988
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