Ministry Drafting Rules for Imported Electricity

The National Infrastructure Ministry is working on draft regulations to govern the import of electricity from neighboring countries.

The draft is expected to be completed by the end of the month, acc ording to a letter from the head of the ministry's electricity administration, Dan Weinstock, to Eilat businessmen and hoteliers who are interested in importing electricity from Jordan.

The Eilat hotels want to purchase cheaper electricity than that offered by the Israel Electric Corporation, and claim that the state is putting obstacles in the way of their purchasing natural gas from Egypt and Jordan.

Several months ago, they sent a letter to the ministry's director general, in which they complained that "a lack of regulations concerning cross-border gas and electricity lines will prevent the supply of natural gas to the State of Israel."

This complaint was based on the replies that they received from foreign firms to their inquiries about supplying natural gas to the town's ho tels.

Following recent government decisions aimed at opening the electricity sector to competition, the Eilat hoteliers and businessmen began organizing to find a cheap electricity supply, and about a year ago, they issued a request for bids.

They received answers from international corporations with ties to Jordan and Egypt, which could supply natural gas at relatively cheap prices. Lately, plans have been drafted for a regional power station that would supply electricity to the town's hotels.