Haifa Ammonia Tank to Close in 3 Months

Jerusalem, 22 February, 2017 (TPS) -- The Ministry of Environmental Affairs has announced it will not renew Haifa Chemicals  Hazardous Materials license, which expires next month. The ministry has agreed to give the company a 90 day grace period. This will give the company the time it needs to ensure its customers are able to obtain the ammonia supplies they need from other sources, and to ensure the country will have access to emergency supplies should the need arise.

The decision to close the tank came in the wake of the publication of a scientific report on the dangers the ammonia tank posed, commissioned by the Haifa Municipality. The report was prepared by a blue ribbon panel of senior Technion Faculty, including Nobel Prize winner Prof. Shectman.

According to the report, the danger is posed both by the tank itself, and the ships bringing the ammonia, which dock once a month. The tank is above ground, and not protected against either earthquakes (the Carmel is a seismically active area) or a missile attack. In addition it is old, and is beginning to experience material fatigue. It holds 12,000 tons, far more than the country’s requirements, which are estimated at no more 3,000 tons. The ship that brings the ammonia to the plant itself, which docks once a month, is also vulnerable while in the port.

The report states that because of Ammonia’s extreme toxicity, in the event there was a significant leak of the gas into the atmosphere, as a result of either a terror attack, a natural disaster or an operational mishap, it would create a toxic cloud that could kill thousands of the area’s residents before they had a chance to evacuate. The figure could be anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000, depending on the prevailing winds at the time.