The Environmental Protection Minister's call for final cancellation of the plans comes in the wake of new surveys which point to substantial natural gas reserves off the coast of Israel. Minister Erdan contends that "it is now clear that Israel has natural gas reserves which will suffice for dozens of years of regular electricity supply. The major efforts that we have invested in stopping the establishment of the power plant in Ashkelon have, fortunately, delayed its unnecessary construction which would have caused major air pollution, adverse health impacts, and huge financial expenditures."

The economic damage which could be caused to the Israeli economy due to the operation of a coal plant is estimated at 148,527,300 euros per year, based on estimated pollution emission costs.. The forecasted cost for 50 years (the estimated lifetime of coal stations) exceeds 7.5 billion euros. The cost of operating a power plant by natural gas (by means of combined cycle units) is ten times lower.

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	New Coal-Fired Power Plant: Ministry Position
	Electricity Production and the Environment