Pursuant to the recommendation of the directors-general committee on the development of Haifa Bay chaired by National Economic Council Director Prof. Avi Simhon, which constitutes the basis for Government Decision #1231, the inter-ministerial steering committee chaired by Prof. Simhon and a designated authority, in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), on the development of Haifa Bay, were established.

 

Prof. Simhon [translated from Hebrew]:

 

"The plan that we formulated will lead to the establishment of a major and strong metropolitan area in the north, which could, in the future, equal the drawing power of Greater Tel Aviv. This will change the image of the country and affect the development of the entire north. We are determined to lead this effort quickly and with maximum efficiency, and are working together with all of the government ministries that are participating in the plan even to bring forward the timetable for preparing the energy economy."

 

The steering committee has been working in recent months together with the Israel Land Authority, the Energy Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the Transportation Ministry, the Environmental Protection Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Planning Authority, the Health Ministry, the Economy Ministry, the Israel Ports Development and Assets Company Ltd. And other partners to formulate a multi-year plan for the full implementation of Government Decision #1231. This plan includes the implementation of all articles of the Government decision, including the construction of railway lines for rapid trains between Tel Aviv and Haifa Bay, a metropolitan area park along the Kishon River, and a new hospital in Kiryat Ata, with its main focus being on preparing the energy economy for the cessation of petrochemical industry activity in Haifa Bay. These preparations include the construction and adaptation of infrastructure for the importation, transportation, storage and distribution of refined petroleum products – gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel, as well as a response for the importation and storage of bitumen (a raw material for the preparation of asphalt) and dealing with the condensates of the Leviathan natural gas field.

 

Upon the completion and adaptation of the infrastructure, the State of Israel will be prepared for the cessation of activity by the Bazan Group refineries in Haifa Bay, without harming the continuity of function for the Israeli energy economy.

 

According to the work plan, which includes 100 work packages and over 500 various tasks that will be allocated among the various ministries and implementation agencies, including the clear allocation of responsibility, timetables and milestones for each task, preparing the energy economy will conclude in 2029, two to three years earlier than the goal set by the directors-general committee and the Government decision.

 

The plan has been released to the general public on the PMO Haifa Bay Development Authority website and will allow the Steering Committee chaired by Prof. Simhon to monitor the rapid and effective implementation of the plan for the benefit of the residents of the Haifa metropolitan area.

 

The strategic plan for the development of Haifa Bay includes a strategic change in the heart of the metropolitan area: Changing the designation of the land from the petrochemical industry to employment, housing, logistics, and open spaces and includes the planning and development of approximately 130,000 residential units, 12 million square meters for employment and commerce, and 5,800 dunams for the metropolitan area park along the Kishon River.

 

Yuval Admon, Director of the PMO Haifa Bay Development Authority and Deputy Director of the PMO National Economic Council [translated from Hebrew]:

 

"Since the day the Steering Committee and the Authority were established, we have been busy turning the dream of developing the Bay into an operative, detailed and coordinated plan to be implemented in the coming years. Parallel to the intensive work on formulating the plan together with all of our partners, we have already begun to implement it, all of us together. The decisive majority of work packages are already underway, with emphasis on the construction of the energy infrastructure that will allow for the cessation of petrochemical industry activity in the Bay. Projects have been budgeted, tenders committees have been established, statutory plans are moving forward – and we are working together with all of the ministries to meet the timetables we have set for ourselves under the plan."​