If you thought mining for shale faced difficulties in Israel, you’ve never tried to harvest good, clean, renewable wind power.
A number of companies are petitioning Israel’s High Court after the Public Utilities Authority (Electricity) apparently changed the rates they would be paid for their electricty, according to a Globes report. The difference is significant enough to not make the renewable energy ventures profitable.
These wind ventures, that began 10 years ago, kept hitting road blocks along the way.
One recent roadblock was a Haifa District Court decision 2 months ago that froze the electricity market to prevent a weakening of the Israel Electric Company worker’s bargaining power.
As a result of that decision, not just wind, but also solar fields can’t be connected to the country’s electric grid until further notice.
The current wind turbine battle over electric rates is a complicated one and the legal battles around it may just kill this fledgling industry before it even takes off.
Who needs environmentalists to cause trouble, when you have regulators.