Sources inform ''Globes'' that, Adv. Dov Weissglass, a close aide of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, will handle negotiations for the purchase of natural gas by Palestinian power stations. He is in talks to represent Palestine Power Generating Company plc (Nablus: PPGC), which won the tender to build a power station near Jenin, in the northern West Bank, one of four power stations planned.
Weissglass recently met Palestinian Authority Minister of Energy Omar Kittaneh about buying gas from Israel's Tamar gas field.
Weissglass declined to respond to a "Globes" query on the matter.
The Palestinian Authority plans to build four natural-gas driven power stations at Jenin, Ramallah, Jericho, and Hebron. The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide the financing.
Israel favorably views construction of the power stations, because it will allow Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) (TASE: ELEC.B22) to greatly reduce its electricity sales to Palestinian customers, and eliminate the need to build more power stations in Israel. The Palestinian Authority currently consumes 6% of IEC output, and consumption is rising steadily as the West Bank population and economy grow.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 22, 2012
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012