OECD Economics Department Working Papers

ISSN :
1815-1973 (online)
DOI :
10.1787/18151973
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Working papers from the Economics Department of the OECD that cover the full range of the Department’s work including the economic situation, policy analysis and projections; fiscal policy, public expenditure and taxation; and structural issues including ageing, growth and productivity, migration, environment, human capital, housing, trade and investment, labour markets, regulatory reform, competition, health, and other issues.
 

Addressing Challenges in the Energy Sector in Israel You or your institution have access to this content

Authors:
Philip Hemmings
Publication Date
06 Dec 2011
Bibliographic information
No.:
914
Pages
33
DOI
10.1787/5kg0s2dnrbxq-en

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Offshore natural-gas discoveries have released Israel from complete reliance on imported primary fuels and are allowing for a cleaner energy mix. Furthermore, additional production will soon come on stream, and there is a reasonable chance of new commercially viable gas finds, and possibly of oil too. The authorities have overhauled the system of royalties and taxes, although how best to use the resulting revenues remains the subject of debate. Concerns about competition in the gas sector have risen following the disruption of imports via the pipeline from Egypt, which has strengthened the market position of the lead consortium developing the offshore fields. Competition concerns in the electricity sector have been longstanding due to sluggish reform away from monopoly provision by the state-owned incumbent. As elsewhere, energy use has important environmental side-effects. A comprehensive plan for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions has been developed recently, which relies primarily on energy-efficiency measures and an increase in the share of renewable-electricity product. This Working Paper relates to the OECD 2011 Economic Survey of Israel (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/Israel).
Keywords:
energy, solar power, GHG, carbon tax, vehicle emissions, vehicle taxation, energy efficiency, natural gas, Israeli energy demand, renewable energy, wind power, Israel, gasoline, public transport, diesel, Israeli energy supply, electricity generation, greenhouse gases, electric car
JEL Classification:
  • L94: Industrial Organization / Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities / Electric Utilities
  • L95: Industrial Organization / Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities / Gas Utilities; Pipelines; Water Utilities
  • Q42: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Energy / Alternative Energy Sources
  • Q48: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Energy / Government Policy
  • Q53: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Environmental Economics / Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
  • Q54: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Environmental Economics / Climate; Natural Disasters; Global Warming
  • Q58: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Environmental Economics / Government Policy
  • R48: Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics / Transportation Systems / Government Pricing and Policy