13.12.2009

The process consists of fusing nuclei rather than splitting a nucleus as happens in ordinary nuclear-fission power plants. In a fission reaction, the nucleus of a uranium atom is split into two smaller atoms, releasing energy in the form of heat. The heat is used to make steam, which drives a turbine and generates electricity. In fusion energy, the second half of this process (heat makes steam makes electricity) remains the same. But instead of splitting the nucleus of an atom, you’re trying to force a deuterium nucleus to merge, or fuse, with a tritium nucleus. When that happens, you produce helium and throw off energy. Currently scientists at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are trying to create a tiny pellet that will contain a few milligrams of deuterium and tritium, isotopes of hydrogen that can be extracted from water. If you blast the pellet with a powerful laser, you can create a reaction like the one that takes place at the center of the sun. Harness that reaction, and you’ve created a star on earth, and with the heat from that star you can generate electricity without creating any pollution. Scientists have been trying to produce energy with fusion for decades. So far, they keep failing. It’s not that fusion itself can’t be achieved. Fusion takes place in every hydrogen-bomb explosion. The trick is controlling fusion so that instead of a one-time blast you get a series of tiny, controllable explosions. The product that NIF is trying to build is called Laser Inertial Fusion Energy LIFE). If successful LIFE would produce energy with no carbon emissions, from a fuel that is cheap and abundant

Google PowerMeter is a free electricity usage monitoring tool that provides consumers with information on how much energy their home is consuming. Google PowerMeter receives information from utility smart meters and in-home energy management devices and visualizes this information on iGoogle. Studies show that being able to see ones electricity usage in near real time, throughout the day, makes it easier to reduce it and save money. This sort of feedback requires either an advanced electricity meter, a “smart meter” or a consumer-owned electricity management device, and many of today’s smart meters don’t display information to the consumer.

Since the regulation was published in Israel in July 2008 regarding the generation of solar electricity, businesses to install roof top solar technology have budded. The method behind the concept is as follows: energy companies publish a “roof requested” notice and then they install the facility on the roofs of the owners of the premises such as petrol stations, malls, industrial plants, etc. using three different kinds of business models. The first model is to rent the roof and the payment of a monthly fee for using it, so that the entity that gains from the electricity generation is the energy company rather than the roof top owner. In the second model, the company only sells and installs the solar equipment and the roof owner enjoys any gains from the sale of electricity. The third model is a hybrid of the first two whereas the energy company and the roof owner jointly benefit from the gains of the sale of electricity. Based on a result carried out by Calcalist in December 2009, this solar trend has certain financial disadvantages, such as: (1) tax burden – any income from industrial solar generation facilities larger than 4 KW are bound by the regular tax regulations so that income could be taxed up to 44%. (2) In addition, no system works 100% of the time at 100% efficient, but rather at a maximum efficiency of 95%-98%, due to maintenance needs, break-downs, dirty panels, or even shade passing momentarily over one small part of the system is sufficient to significantly decrease its production efficiency by dozens of percentage points. (3) Every 8 years (life span is between 5-10 years) it is necessary to change the converter at a cost of at least 120 thousand shekels. (4) The need to take on long term financial obligations – many times the facility is financed with prime linked loans. With such long term loans, the prime could increase significantly. In addition, the equipment is likely to lose 5% of its income value each year. One also needs to take into account the risks involved in undertaking 20 year financial obligations, such as if one wants to sell the property, change the purpose of the land/property, possible theft or breakage of the system or damage caused by weather (such as thunder and storms). (5) Insurance/guarantees are not included in the purchase price – although the energy companies offer a guarantee for the installation of the facility, this guarantee is far from all encompassing. In fact, profits are due to stream in as of year 8 of the installation and continue under the best circumstances for 20 years. However, no guarantee will be worth anything, if the energy company or the manufacturer of the equipment encounters financial difficulties and does not outlast the 20 year term

15.11.2009
10.11.2009
04.11.2009

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Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Adira Energy Corp., an Ontario corporation, the Company explores for oil and gas in Israel in areas located on-shore in the Hula Valley, Northern Israel, 10km offshore between Netanya and Ashdod, and 17km offshore between Hadera and Netanya. The Company currently holds three petroleum exploration licenses, the Eitan, Gabriella and Yitzhak Licenses, covering an aggregate total of approximately 160,550 acres. Brownstone Ventures Inc a Canadian-based, TSX Venture Exchange listed, energy investment company, has the right, subject to certain conditions, to earn a 15% participating interest in the Company’s’ offshore blocks. The Yitzhak License area is centered approximately 17 km off the Israeli coast and stretches from Netanya in the South to Hadera in the North (about 11 km). The Yitzhak License covers a total license area of 127,700 Dunam (approximately – 127.7 square kilometers or 31,555 acres). The Yitzhak License is directly to the North of, and contiguous to the company’s Gabriella License. The license area is in shallow water with a depth of approximately 150 meters, which the Company believes will make drilling more cost efficient. The Yitzhak License has been granted for an initial period of three years commencing October 15, 2009. Stephen Pierce, AMG’s Senior Vice President of Geology, said: “During early 1970 an oil well located in the area covered by the Yitzhak License called “Delta-1” was drilled. The total depth of Delta-1 was 4423m, and ended in the Upper Jurassic. However, this depth is above the oil encountered in the Jurassic Bathonian age limestones in the Yam Yafo-1 (4894m – 4955m) and Yam-2 wells (5315m).

22.10.2009

As per the Israeli Gas Law-2002: the piping of natural gas at low pressure through pipelines. The system distributes gas at low pressure (less than 16 Bar).

According to the law, the distribution license holder is forbidden from carrying out any other activity besides the construction and operation of the distribution network. Nevertheless, another company – such as a sister company – of the distribution network licensee may deal in additional activities such as the marketing of natural gas. The law does not grant any benefit in the marketing of the gas to consumers by the distribution company and thus from the very first day the network will operate under the open access system.

According to the Natural Gas Authority the objectives of the distribution network licensee is to construct a distribution network according to his proposal in the tender and to link up consumers and/or marketers cum shippers at low pressure that request to be linked up. The connection of each network to the transmission system is via PRMS stations that the transmission licensee orders on behalf of each distribution network. The distribution licensee sets up link up facilities including reading meters for each consumer and takes a link-up tariff again in accordance with his proposal in the tender and is responsible for reading the meter.

It is incumbent upon the distribution licensee to provide information to the transmission licensee regarding the gas consumptions of his regional consumers. The information is to be sorted by marketer/shipper (taking into consideration that a consumer can be his own shipper) in order to facilitate the collection of the transmission tariff. Since the distribution licensee is responsible on the one hand for reading the meters and on the other hand he has the data regarding each consumer’s marketer/shipper, the transfer of consumption data sorted out by shippers will structure the relationships in the market place and facilitate matters for all players.

There is no business relationship between the distribution license holder and the natural gas supplier. The distribution network licensee can only know what is happening in his region whilst the marketer/shipper can operate in all the regions. It is the marketer/shipper and not the distribution licensee that is responsible to supply the gas to consumers.

Israel’s gas distribution system is divided into 6 regions. Each of the six regions is to be licensed to a regional licensee.

Negev region – Negev Natural Gas Company won the first tender in the Negev region, in Beer Sheva and Dead Sea area in February 2009 for a total investment of 80-100 million. The company is owned by Amisragas and Electra and Aharon Hamo. Company got a license for 25years and the main sector of this is due to be on line by 2016. The Magal company however will also continue to provide gas in the Arad region from the Zohar gas field.

Central Region – The Super Energy consortium which consists of 50% of Shapir Civil and Maritime Engineering Ltd. and 50% of Supergas, one of the Israeli LPG companies won in March 2009 the second natural gas distribution tender. The tender is to set up a distribution network in the center of Israel and is due to link up to the transmission system at the Reading Power Station and Nesher in the region of Ramle in order to supply consumers in the region of Ramle, Lod, Zrifin, the southern Dan Region and others. The project will cost a total of 250 million shekels to be invested over 8 years and the license is for 25 years and the main section of this is due to be on line by 2017

Southern region – South Natural Gas Company Ltd. (Drom Gaz Tivi) owned by Amisragas, Elco and Hamo-Aharon won the tender in November 2010 to construct the distribution network Ashkelon and Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi (connecting at Zafit) and Shderot (connecting at the Lapidot Station). The license is for 25years at an estimated cost of 106 million. This tender is now being contested in court (2012)

Northern region – Two tenders are due to be published soon for the northern area which will be divided into two regions. The winner of the tender in the north will link up at the Hadera power station and the Hagit power station.

Jerusalem Area – INGL is promoting a transmission line in the Jerusalem area which will enable to publish a tender for a distribution network in the Jerusalem and surrounding areas in the future
The distribution licensee charges two different tariffs: a one-time connection tariff and a distribution tariff for the actual throughput of gas that the consumer is transmitting through the distribution network. The consumer will pay these two tariffs according to the category/size of consumer that he belongs to.

The tariff that a distribution licensee can ask for (not under clause 102 of the law) is based solely on an actual flow tariff (except for the connection tariff) based on the price submitted by the tender winner. Contrary to the transmission system, there is no throughput capacity charge, but payment is only for the actual amount of mmbtu’s distributed through the system.

For the construction of a distribution network and its operation, the distribution licensee can charge consumers/shippers a distribution tariff in accordance with the proposal put forward and accepted in his tender. The tariffs are solely for infrastructure services and do not include the price of the gas itself, which is paid by the consumer to the natural gas supplier according to a contract entered into between a willing buyer and a willing seller.

There are 4 different types of categories of distribution consumers: large consumers who consume over 1 million cubic meters per year; mid range consumers who consume between 100 thousand to 1 million per year; small consumers who consume between 10 thousand and a 100 thousand per year and very small who consume who consume up to 10 thousand a year (see table attached).

A consumer will be categorized at the outset of the first year based on his forecast of consumption and at the end of the year based on his actual past consumption.

In principle, all distribution pipelines will be composed of High Density Polyethylene pipe (HDPE). The pipeline connection points to the PRMS facilities will be of carbon steel that can withstand internal pressure of 80 bar and any place where the distribution network will have to cope with 16 bar pressure, there the pipes will all be composed of such identical carbon steel.

Low pressure distribution system – will be those sections of the distribution network that will operate at maximum pressure of 75 to 150 millibar (1 bar = 1,000 millibar). In those sections it is expected to supply natural gas to certain consumers or areas where it is not feasible to lay PE mains (Polyethylene pipes) at a pressure of 4 to 7 bar. These sections will thus receive natural gas from the low pressure network via the regional PRMS facilities (DPRS).

Every consumer of natural gas in Israel linked to a distribution network has to pay 5 different tariffs: distribution tariff, link up to the distribution network, actual flow tariff for the transmission system, capacity tariff for the transmission system (special simplified tariff for distribution consumers of the transmission system) and the natural gas price itself.

9th Dec 2012 – 4th & 5th
licenses of the 6 gas distribution regions have been approved by the NGA.

The company that won the tender for setting up and operating the gas distribution network in Hadera & the Valleys is SuperNG, the sister company of the gas distribution licensee in the central region which is owned by Supergas and Shapir Engineering. The company has pledged to invest some 218 million NIS in the distribution network within five years, of which 128 million NIS will be invested within three years. The Hadera & the Valleys area includes, among others, Netanya, Hadera, Zikhron Ya’akov, Migdal HaEmek, Afula, Nazareth, Tziporit industrial zone, Tirat HaCarmel and Emek HaMayanot.

The Haifa & Galilee area was won by Rimon Natural Gas, owned by Rimon Ltd. and the Mer Group, which has pledged to invest some 225 million NIS in the distribution network within seven years, of which over than 148 million NIS will be invested within three years.
The area includes, among others, Haifa, Haifa Bay and the Krayot, Nahariya, Ma’alot-Tarshiha, Akko, Karmiel, Kiryat Shmona, Tiberius, Rosh Pina, Safed, Katzrin and Zemach.

March 2014:

A distant consumer is defined as a medium consumer who consumes 100,000-1,000,000 m³ of gas per year and is located at least 3,000 m from the network, or a large consumer who consumes more than 1,000,000 m³ of gas per year and is located at least 6,000 m from the network. In both cases, the consumer’s annual turnover must not exceed 400 million shekels.
Consumers who consume 100,000-500,000 m³ of gas per year are eligible for a grant of up to 750,000 shekels; Consumers who consume 500,000-1,000,000 m³ per year are eligible for up to 500,000 shekels; and consumers who consume more than1,000,000 m³ per year are eligible for a up to 250,000 shekels. Grants will be subject to the board’s approval and budget limits.
In addition, distant consumers will be eligible for further aid for the additional connection tariff payment, amounting to 1 million shekels per 10 km.

Of the 120 million shekel budget, 116 million are still available. 10.3 million shekels have been allocated to the Negev, 13.3 million to the south, 22.7 million to the center, 11 million to Jerusalem, 21 million to Hadera & the valleys, 22.2 million to Haifa, the Galilee and the Golan, 14.5 million to distant consumers, and 1 million has been kept as a reserve.

21.09.2009

National outline plan for power stations and electricity grids

15.09.2009

Egyptian natural gas companies