Ultimately, had the project succeeded, by 2024 Israel could have produced 50,000 barrels of light oil per day for 25 years, the company said – but that was based on a projection of starting a pilot in 2014, according to The Tower.
When asked, Shafir said he was not told the reason for the rejection, other than a statement the area is ‘environmentally sensitive.’ Plans for the project are now on hold, and his company has not yet decided on its next step. It’s not clear whether enough oil shale resources exist to make such a project viable elsewhere in Israel.
In any case, the benefit of a natural resource like oil shale is the fact that it is ancient. And patient. It’s been there for generations. So it will still be there the next time the project comes up for consideration.
