לחצו כאן.pdf

The Manufacturers Association of Israel and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce responded to the public hearing on the annual update of the electricity tariff for 2021, stating that the use of electricity is a significant component of the total cost of the business sector, and therefore, any reduction in electricity prices has significant implications for the cost of living in Israel and the competitiveness of the Israeli economy.

They argued that with the entry into use of natural gas reserves, the decline in the dollar exchange rate, and the decline in fuel prices, it is possible to lower electricity tariffs even more than planned in the hearing documents. Proper and professional planning of the electricity market, with clear goals and action plans, would enable the implementation of this goal for the benefit of all citizens and businesses in Israel.

They emphasized that the Israel Electricity Authority does not provide professional and clear information on the significant increase in electricity tariffs as a result of the use of renewable energy, which causes direct harm to all electricity consumers in Israel. The authority does not present explicit data on how much the electricity tariff has increased cumulatively since the beginning of the use of renewable energy.

They also noted that the reserve capacity in the electricity market is too high, causing unnecessary costs to electricity consumers, and that the Israel Electricity Authority has not corrected the flaws in the reserve capacity, despite the warnings of the State Comptroller.

They requested that the authority reduce the reserve capacity to 17-20%, avoid introducing production technologies that increase reserve capacity without suitable storage means, and build a professional development plan that prevents the implementation of such high reserve capacity rates, which cause waste of public funds.

Additionally, they requested that the entire reduction in costs due to the sale of the Ramat Hovav power station be allocated to the system management segment, and not to the production segment, and that the debt of NIS 128 million for pension costs be removed from the tariff.

They also asked to present their response in front of the Israel Electricity Authority council before the discussion.