Due to the natural gas shortage in Israel, there has been a 200% rise in the consumption of diesel for electricity production, and a 108% rise in the consumption of fuel oil for electricity production, according to the Fuel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Administration at the Ministry of Energy and Water, in summarizing Israel's 2011 fuel consumption. While there was a rise in diesel and fuel oil consumption, there was a 7% drop in natural gas consumption.
In 2011, overall consumption of gasoline products in Israel (and the Palestinian Authority) reached 11 million tons, 5% more than the previous year.
The Ministry of Energy and Water announced that this trend of increased diesel consumption for heating is expected to continue in 2012 until natural gas becomes available from the Tamar gas field.
Israel is currently suffering from a temporary natural gas shortage that will end in the middle of 2013 when the Tamar gas field is onstream to Israel, and major quantities of natural gas become available.
Preparations for the switch over to natural gas have been protracted and have involved many difficulties and required heavy investment. As a result the transition to gas should already have been at peak levels. But that is not what is happening. Following protracted delays, progress has finally been achieved in the past few months with the laying of the gas pipeline, and - with the exception of Jerusalem - a timetable to connect all peripheral areas to the natural gas supply has been prepared.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 25, 2012
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