Oil shale in Israel
Encyclopedia
Oil shale in Israel is widespread but an undeveloped resource, largely because of economic and technological constraints. Israel
i oil shale
s belong to the group of Upper Cretaceous marinite
s. Although oil-shale deposits
may lie under as much as 15% of the country, only a small part of these are mineable. According to the Geological Survey of Israel, deposits that could have the biggest economic potential are located in the northern Negev
, the largest being the Rotem-Yamin formation. For several decades, oil shale was used for small-scale power generation at Mishor Rotem
. Several Israeli companies have proposed shale oil extraction; testing of the viability of the oil shale industry
is currently being undertaken by Israel Energy Initiatives. However, as of 2011, there are no commercial oil shale operations in Israel.
is most-likely formed from marine
phytoplankton
. According to government agencies in Israel, oil shale within the nation is not at present a viable energy resource, given currently available technologies. Further study and analysis are needed to determine the full potential.
Oil shale deposits cover approximately 15% of Israel, mainly in the northern and central parts of the country. There are more than than 30 known occurrences of oil shale. The theoretical total reserves are estimated to be about 300 billion tonnes. However, only a few billion tonnes are thought to be recoverable in practical terms through open-pit mining. The main resources are located in the north of the Negev desert. The principle economic potential have the Mishash and the Ghareb formations in northern Negev. As a source for hydrocarbon production, particular interest is oil shales in Dead Sea
graben
area. The largest deposit is Rotem-Yamin (Mishor Rotem and Mishor Yamin occurrences). Other larger deposits are Sde Boker
, Nahal Zin, Zenifim, Shefela-Hartuv
, Oron, Nabi Musa
, En Boqeq, and Yeroham. According to Tsevi Minster of the Geological Survey of Israel, the largest oil shale occurrence may be Shefela.
The thickness of oil shale formations vary from 30 to 450 m (98.4 to 1,476.4 ); maximum thickness of the Ghareb Formation in the northern Negev
is 130 metres (426.5 ft). The oil shale in Israel is carbonate-rich consisting of 65 to 80% chalk
and marl
, and 2–15% clay
s. Its moisture is up to 20%. Organic content is about 9–15% and sulfur
10–15%. It yields about 40–100 l (84.5–211.3 ) of shale oil
per one metric ton of oil shale. By mineral composition, Israeli oil shale is similar to oil shale in Jordan
.
was commissioned in 1978. In 1978–1981, a 100 kW pilot oil shale-fired power plant was operated. Between 1982 and 1986, the PAMA company, a subsidiary of the Israel Electric Corporation
, established and operated a pilot plant, which used the fluidized bed combustion
technology. The demonstration plant was completed in 1989. After 2000, the power station was operated by the Rotem Amfert, a subsidiary of Israel Chemicals
. The plant was closed in April, 2011. Israel Chemicals
announced that it was closing the plant because it made negligible profits and because it was better to close the plant rather than cause future damage to the environment.
Bustan, an Israeli NGO, reported that Israel considered purchasing oil shale processing technology from Russia's Technopromexport in 1999. The project was not implemented. Bustan also reported that Pittsburgh-based MidAtlantic Energy Group considered a project to build a 150 MW oil shale-fired power plant at Mishor Rotem.
In 2006, A.F.S.K. Hom Tov
announced a plan to build a small (1–2 tonne/h) test plant in Haifa
before building a full scale production plant at Mishor Rotem. The company envisioned bringing bitumen 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) by pipeline from the Ashdod refinery
and returning product along the same corridor. However, the plan was not implemented, and Hom Tov subsequently ceased to operate.
In July 2011, Israel Energy Initiatives, a subsidiary of Genie Energy
, received a one-year extension of its three year exclusive license to explore oil shale resources on 238 square kilometres (91.9 sq mi) in Israel's Shfela region
. IEI hopes to begin a pilot project in 2012, which would produced oil not before 2017.
In May 2011, the Russian energy company Inter RAO announced that it had received a license to develop oil shale resources in the Negev desert. The company was said to be planning an oil extraction plant and a 150 MW oil shale-fired power plant to be completed by 2014. The news was not confirmed by Israeli sources.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i oil shale
Oil shale
Oil shale, an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock, contains significant amounts of kerogen from which liquid hydrocarbons called shale oil can be produced...
s belong to the group of Upper Cretaceous marinite
Marinite
Marinite is a gray to dark-gray or black oil shale of marine origin in which the chief organic components are lamalginite and bituminite derived from marine phytoplankton, with varied admixtures of bitumen, telalginite and vitrinite. Marinite deposits are the most abundant oil-shale deposits...
s. Although oil-shale deposits
Oil shale reserves
Oil shale reserves refers to oil shale resources that are recoverable under given economic restraints and technological abilities. Oil shale deposits range from small presently non-economic occurrences to large presently commercially exploitable reserves...
may lie under as much as 15% of the country, only a small part of these are mineable. According to the Geological Survey of Israel, deposits that could have the biggest economic potential are located in the northern Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
, the largest being the Rotem-Yamin formation. For several decades, oil shale was used for small-scale power generation at Mishor Rotem
Mishor Rotem Power Station
The Mishor Rotem Power Station was an oil shale-fired power station in the area of Mishor Rotem, Israel. It was closed in April, 2011. Israel Chemicals, owner of the site, announced that it was closing the plant because it made negligible profits and because it was better to close the plant rather...
. Several Israeli companies have proposed shale oil extraction; testing of the viability of the oil shale industry
Oil shale industry
Oil shale industry is an industry of mining and processing of oil shale—a fine-grained sedimentary rock, containing significant amounts of kerogen , from which liquid hydrocarbons can be manufactured. The industry has developed in Brazil, China, Estonia and to some extent in Germany, Israel and...
is currently being undertaken by Israel Energy Initiatives. However, as of 2011, there are no commercial oil shale operations in Israel.
Resource
Oil shale in Israel is Upper Cretaceous marinite, which kerogenKerogen
Kerogen is a mixture of organic chemical compounds that make up a portion of the organic matter in sedimentary rocks. It is insoluble in normal organic solvents because of the huge molecular weight of its component compounds. The soluble portion is known as bitumen. When heated to the right...
is most-likely formed from marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
phytoplankton
Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton are the autotrophic component of the plankton community. The name comes from the Greek words φυτόν , meaning "plant", and πλαγκτός , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter". Most phytoplankton are too small to be individually seen with the unaided eye...
. According to government agencies in Israel, oil shale within the nation is not at present a viable energy resource, given currently available technologies. Further study and analysis are needed to determine the full potential.
Oil shale deposits cover approximately 15% of Israel, mainly in the northern and central parts of the country. There are more than than 30 known occurrences of oil shale. The theoretical total reserves are estimated to be about 300 billion tonnes. However, only a few billion tonnes are thought to be recoverable in practical terms through open-pit mining. The main resources are located in the north of the Negev desert. The principle economic potential have the Mishash and the Ghareb formations in northern Negev. As a source for hydrocarbon production, particular interest is oil shales in Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
graben
Graben
In geology, a graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults. Graben is German for ditch. Graben is used for both the singular and plural....
area. The largest deposit is Rotem-Yamin (Mishor Rotem and Mishor Yamin occurrences). Other larger deposits are Sde Boker
Sde Boker
Sde Boker is a kibbutz in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Best known as the retirement home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ramat HaNegev Regional Council.-History:...
, Nahal Zin, Zenifim, Shefela-Hartuv
Hartuv
Hartuv or Har-Tuv was an agricultural colony in the Judean Hills established in 1883 on land purchased from the Arab village of Artuf by English missionaries. It was destroyed in the 1929 Palestine riots but was rebuilt in 1930. In 1948 it was abandoned again. Hartuv was the starting point for...
, Oron, Nabi Musa
Nabi Musa
Nabi Musa is the name of a site in the Judean desert that popular Palestinian folklore associates with Moses. It is also the name of a seven-day long religious festival that was celebrated annually by Palestinian Muslims, beginning on the Friday before Good Friday in the old Orthodox Greek calendar...
, En Boqeq, and Yeroham. According to Tsevi Minster of the Geological Survey of Israel, the largest oil shale occurrence may be Shefela.
The thickness of oil shale formations vary from 30 to 450 m (98.4 to 1,476.4 ); maximum thickness of the Ghareb Formation in the northern Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
is 130 metres (426.5 ft). The oil shale in Israel is carbonate-rich consisting of 65 to 80% chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
and marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
, and 2–15% clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
s. Its moisture is up to 20%. Organic content is about 9–15% and sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
10–15%. It yields about 40–100 l (84.5–211.3 ) of shale oil
Shale oil
Shale oil, known also as kerogen oil or oil-shale oil, is an unconventional oil produced from oil shale by pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution. These processes convert the organic matter within the rock into synthetic oil and gas...
per one metric ton of oil shale. By mineral composition, Israeli oil shale is similar to oil shale in Jordan
Oil shale in Jordan
Oil shale in Jordan represents a significant resource. Oil shale deposits in Jordan underlie more than 60% of Jordanian territory, with the total resources estimated at 40 to 70 billion tonnes of oil shale. The deposits include a high quality marinite oil shale of Late Cretaceous to early...
.
History
An oil shale-fired power plant at Mishor RotemMishor Rotem Power Station
The Mishor Rotem Power Station was an oil shale-fired power station in the area of Mishor Rotem, Israel. It was closed in April, 2011. Israel Chemicals, owner of the site, announced that it was closing the plant because it made negligible profits and because it was better to close the plant rather...
was commissioned in 1978. In 1978–1981, a 100 kW pilot oil shale-fired power plant was operated. Between 1982 and 1986, the PAMA company, a subsidiary of the Israel Electric Corporation
Israel Electric Corporation
Israel Electric Corporation is the main supplier of electrical power in Israel.IEC builds, maintains and operates power generation stations, sub-stations, as well as the transmission and distribution networks....
, established and operated a pilot plant, which used the fluidized bed combustion
Fluidized bed combustion
Fluidized bed combustion is a combustion technology used in power plants. Fluidized beds suspend solid fuels on upward-blowing jets of air during the combustion process. The result is a turbulent mixing of gas and solids. The tumbling action, much like a bubbling fluid, provides more effective...
technology. The demonstration plant was completed in 1989. After 2000, the power station was operated by the Rotem Amfert, a subsidiary of Israel Chemicals
Israel Chemicals
Israel Chemicals Ltd. , also known as ICL, is a multi-national Israeli manufacturing concern that develops, produces and markets fertilizers, metals and other special-purpose chemical products.-History:...
. The plant was closed in April, 2011. Israel Chemicals
Israel Chemicals
Israel Chemicals Ltd. , also known as ICL, is a multi-national Israeli manufacturing concern that develops, produces and markets fertilizers, metals and other special-purpose chemical products.-History:...
announced that it was closing the plant because it made negligible profits and because it was better to close the plant rather than cause future damage to the environment.
Bustan, an Israeli NGO, reported that Israel considered purchasing oil shale processing technology from Russia's Technopromexport in 1999. The project was not implemented. Bustan also reported that Pittsburgh-based MidAtlantic Energy Group considered a project to build a 150 MW oil shale-fired power plant at Mishor Rotem.
In 2006, A.F.S.K. Hom Tov
A.F.S.K. Hom Tov
A.F.S.K. Hom Tov is a spin-off of the A.F.S.K. Industries Group located in Haifa, Israel. In 2006, the company claimed that it had patented technology for converting oil shale to shale oil.-History:...
announced a plan to build a small (1–2 tonne/h) test plant in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
before building a full scale production plant at Mishor Rotem. The company envisioned bringing bitumen 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) by pipeline from the Ashdod refinery
Ashdod Oil Refineries
Ashdod Oil Refinery is second largest Oil Refinery in Israel, after Haifa Oil Refineries Ltd, located in coastal city of Ashdod. It was once part of governmental company Oil Refineries Ltd. After privatization of the company and solution to break the monopoly in Oil Refinery field, Ashdod oil...
and returning product along the same corridor. However, the plan was not implemented, and Hom Tov subsequently ceased to operate.
In July 2011, Israel Energy Initiatives, a subsidiary of Genie Energy
Genie Energy
Genie Energy Ltd. is an energy company headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. It is a holding company comprising IDT Energy, a retail energy provider, and Genie Oil & Gas, which controls the company's ventures in oil shale research and development in Colorado and Israel. Genie is part of IDT...
, received a one-year extension of its three year exclusive license to explore oil shale resources on 238 square kilometres (91.9 sq mi) in Israel's Shfela region
Shephelah
The Shephelah is a designation usually applied to the region in south-central Israel of 10-15 km of low hills between the central Mount Hebron and the coastal plains of Philistia within the area of the Judea, at an altitude of 120-450 metres above sea level. The area is fertile, and a temperate...
. IEI hopes to begin a pilot project in 2012, which would produced oil not before 2017.
In May 2011, the Russian energy company Inter RAO announced that it had received a license to develop oil shale resources in the Negev desert. The company was said to be planning an oil extraction plant and a 150 MW oil shale-fired power plant to be completed by 2014. The news was not confirmed by Israeli sources.