Mekorot’s five-year development plan calls for expenditures in excess of $1.1 billion dollars. This long-term commitment to the future is a strong indicator of Mekorot’s leading position in the global water supply industry.
Mekorot is at the forefront of Israel’s water industry and leading it to new levels of service. Mekorot’s uniqueness and reputation in the water industry are based on its operational capabilities, know-how, decades of experience and use of advanced technologies to manage large water systems and facilities.
The company’s Infrastructure Division constructs and executes complex large-scale projects in the area of water supply, desalination, wastewater treatment and effluent reuse.
It is currently involved in the planning and management of over 100 large-scale projects. The division also engages in long term planning and encouraging the government to pursue a policy of promoting the further development of Israel’s water system and efficiently managing its resources. In all its activities, the company strives for excellence and a high level of professionalism.
Approximately half of Mekorot’s infrastructure projects are carried out internally with the remainder implemented by outsourced contractors under Mekorot’s supervision. Currently, one of Mekorot’s largest projects is the construction of the Fifth Pipeline to Jerusalem, a 10-year effort budgeted at NIS 2.5 billion ($600 million).
When fully operational, the pipeline will provide up to half a million additional cubic meters of water per day (nearly 150 million cubic meters of water per year) to the Jerusalem region.
Mekorot’s strategic development goals for the coming years are focused on water economy-related project management. This involves integrating all stages of a project, including general and detailed planning, implementation, supervision and operation while adhering to strict timetable, budget and other criteria.
The ultimate aim is to improve Mekorot’s services, increase Israel’s water sources, preserve and secure water quality and protect the environment.
Mekorot continues the advancement of Israel’s water system and meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Representative Projects
- The Ashdod Seawater Desalination Plant: upon its completion in 2011, the Ashdod plant will be one of the most advanced in the industry, producing 100 million cu. m. of high quality water a year.
- The Central Filtration Plant: one of the world’s most complex water filtration facilities. With a capital cost of $100 million plant and annual filtering capacity of more than 500 million cu. m., the plant integrates advanced technologies, engineering methods, and state-of-the-art operating procedures. Its automated control system ensures reliable, fast, and safe filtering of water at low cost.
- The Fifth Line to Jerusalem: this government-declared National Infrastructure Project will enable Mekorot to meet the increased demand for water in Jerusalem and surrounding areas, including the Palestinian Authority.
This system includes a 3.5 meter in diameter tunnel, 14.0 km long and dug beneath the Judean Hills, in addition to pumping stations, reservoirs and transformer stations.
The pipeline will supply up to 500,000 cu. m. of water a day at peak operating capacity (150 million cubic meters a year) from Israel’s coastal plain to the elevated heights of Jerusalem.
- The Dan Region Wastewater Treatment Plant (Shafdan): serving a region with a population of two million people, the plant treats and recharges 130 million cu. m. of wastewater annually for use in irrigation.
It is considered to be the largest and most advanced of its type in the Middle East. Secondary effluent is applied on infiltration basins which permeate the aquifer and then obtain a “Soil Aquifer Treatment”.
After remaining in the aquifer, the treated effluent (now at the quality of reclaimed water) is pumped out by production wells that surround the recharge area. This “reclaimed water” is then transferred via the "Third Line" to farmers, for unlimited agriculture use.
- Third Line to the Negev: Reclaimed water from the Dan Region Wastewater treatment plant, is pumped to Israel’s dry Negev area for agricultural use through Mekorot’s “Third Line to the Negev,” a series of 70 inch pipes 90 kilometers in length.
This pipeline is in addition to other pipelines supplying potable water to the Negev.
- The National Water Carrier: a 130 kilometer-long sophisticated water system which traverses a wide range of terrains and comprises a network of aqueducts, tunnels, reservoirs and pumping stations.
The carrier delivers 400 million cu. m of fresh water from Israel’s north to its dry south.
- Eilat desalination plants: in arid Eilat, Mekorot operates a variety of desalination plants, brackish and seawater RO plants with combined production of 40,000 cu.m./day, and a seawater RO desalination plant fed with a combination of seawater and brackish water that produces 10,000 cu.m./day.
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