Energy Security in Israel

The definition proposed by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to energy security is: “Uninterrupted availability of affordable energy for all sections of the population”. This goal can be attained more easily in an energy market based on a diverse and balanced energy sources, with a significant fuel stockpile for emergency situations. In most countries, a balanced and varied energy mix is obtained by a combination of non-renewable energy sources (coal, natural gas and oil), nuclear power and renewable energy sources (solar energy, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric).
The current electricity market in Israel is unbalanced, 63% natural gas, 34% coal, 3% solar, and not secured, the natural gas supply is dependent on a single drilling rig connected to shore by a single pipeline. In addition to the above, the emergency stockpiles of natural gas and coal in Israel are limited. These weaknesses are enhanced due to a lack of the most common base load sources, hydroelectric and nuclear power, and the overall limited and undiversified renewable sources, based mainly on solar stations.
The future energy plan for Israel, as determined in Government decision number 542 accepted in 2015, states that the total electricity generation capacity from renewable energies in Israel will increase to 13% in 2025 and to 17% in 2030. The part of the natural gas in the energy market in this time will probably increase to about 75%, replacing coal. The number of gas producing fields will probably increase and more pipelines will be laid.
Lacking the ability to produce a significant amount of electricity from hydroelectric or wind stations, only two sources of energy are available in the foreseeable future in Israel for the replacement of non-renewable energy sources: construction of more solar and new nuclear power stations.
Both solutions have pros and cons. The main advantages of nuclear power stations are high availability, small footprint and the possibility to store nuclear fuel for several years of operation in a small volume. The main drawbacks of nuclear power stations are the significant danger to the environment in the event of a serious fault of the station and the need to handle the radioactive waste generated according with international standards. Solar stations, on the other hand, are environment friendly. However, their main disadvantage is low availability. For these reasons, backup stations or a large energy storage device must be constructed. Solar stations also damaging the environment due to these stations large footprint.
To overcome the disadvantages of nuclear stations, Israel will have to buy generation IV inherently safe nuclear reactors and to find a suitable location where radioactive waste from the NPP`s can be safely stored. To overcome the low availability of solar stations, low-priced energy storage technologies should be developed. Other changes that must be made are: promotion of a more balanced energy market based on a mix of natural gas, nuclear and solar stations, connected to a high capacity electrical storage system. This energy array should be supplied by several gas fields and pipelines and supported with large emergency reserves of natural gas and nuclear fuel. R&D efforts should be focused on the development of cheap and efficient energy storage solutions, wind turbines that do not harm bird migration and utilizing new renewable energy sources based on sea waves, geothermal power from deep drilling and others energy sources yet to be developed.