Israel Electric Company Launches Drill to Prepare for Power Outages in War With Hezbollah
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Amid ongoing concern that deadly rocket attacks by Iran-backed Hezbollah on northern Israel will escalate into a full-blown war, the Israel Electric Company (IEC) on Tuesday launched a drill to prepare the country for outages that may be caused by incoming missiles, Ynet News reports.
The IEC drill is set to last for about 10 days, and will include exercises in restoring power to the grid during a war and repairing damage to power generation sites, Ynet News said.
As around 70% of Israel’s electricity is sourced from natural gas, the drill will particularly focus on dealing with damage to essential gas rigs. “Gas rigs are sensitive, and when a rig is active, it can turn into a ticking bomb,” Sami Turgeman, Chairman of Noga, Israel’s Independent Power Management company, told Ynet News.
“If a precise missile hits it, we will certainly lose the rig and possibly the gas reservoir as well. Therefore, the immediate action taken by the Israeli government would be to stop gas production and empty the rigs, rendering the pipeline irrelevant,” Turgeman explained.
“A significant portion of our power plants are located in very remote areas and have active defense systems,” Turgeman added. “Our production is not necessarily in the north. Although the IEC has fortified its sites, we should assume that there will be damage causing local and regional power outages. How long will it take to restore power? It could take hours, a day, or two for any affected area. We are preparing for this.”
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