Haifa: High Court approves temporary power plan after war damage

Israel’s High Court has authorized the Bazan Group to construct a temporary power plant at its refinery complex in Haifa, following significant damage caused by Iranian missile strikes during the recent war.

The judges ruled that the approval, granted under emergency provisions, will be limited to a period of three years and does not alter the government’s long-term plan to shut down the refinery complex by the end of the decade.

The original power facility at the site was heavily damaged during the conflict, with multiple strikes causing extensive destruction and a deadly fire that killed three employees.

The project faced opposition from the Haifa municipality and environmental groups, who argued that the refinery could continue operating using electricity from the national grid and warned that a new plant could worsen pollution in the already industrialized Haifa Bay area.

Despite these concerns, planning authorities concluded that alternatives had been considered and that the temporary facility, expected to use more advanced technology, was necessary to maintain operations. Officials also noted that the plant can be dismantled once the refinery is eventually closed.

The court rejected the petitions against the project but reiterated that the approval should not be seen as undermining the broader policy to phase out the refinery by 2029.