Energy Minister Eli Cohen reassured the public this evening (Wednesday) that there will be no electricity crisis even if the war expands to the north.
Cohen's comments come as the state's preparations for the possibility of the expansion of the war, and an attempt by terrorist organizations to damage strategic facilities in the energy sector, "it is very important for me to explain in view of the wave of rumors regarding the supply of electricity in the event of the expansion of the war."
He noted that "the rumors about scenarios of a power outage for weeks or months are baseless, and the chance of this is zero to non-existent. No resident of the State of Israel will be forced to deal with a power outage for weeks. All facilities that supply energy to the State of Israel are defined as strategic facilities and are protected by the security forces."
Minister Cohen added that "even in an extreme scenario of damage to an energy facility - we have established an unprecedented set of backups which allows us to reroute electricity in a short time to any affected area. It is important to note that the State of Israel currently has the ability to generate electricity from a very large variety of sources, spread throughout the country, above the ground, deep in the ground, and in the heart of the sea."
"We have gas rigs, diesel fuel reserves, huge reserves of coal, and we generate large amounts of electricity from renewable energy sources at many sites. We have invested billions of shekels to ensure a regular supply of energy to all Israeli citizens, routinely and in emergencies, and no one will be disconnected from electricity for an extended time. There is no real reason to panic. It is important to act responsibly, and obey the directives of the Home Front Command, which I emphasize - have not changed!"
"I want to praise the employees of the Electric Company who work day and night, risking their lives, to ensure the supply of electricity and energy to all citizens of Israel. To our great regret, four employees of the Electric Company, soldiers of light, were killed in the course of their work while repairing the electric grids. I send my condolences to their families. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, together with all the energy and security agencies, will continue to operate around the clock to protect the strategic facilities and provide regular energy to the State of Israel," Cohen concluded.