Ashdod Refinery Ltd. (Hebrew: בית זיקוק אשדוד) situated in the coastal city of Ashdod is the second largest oil refinery in Israel (behind Haifa's oil refinery). It is located in the industrial zone in the northern part of the city, nearby the Port of Ashdod. As of 2014, it has an annual refining capacity of 5.4 million tons of oil, with a Nelson complexity index of 9.8.
History
The refinery was once part of the formerly governmental company Oil Refineries Ltd. which owned both the Ashdod and Haifa refineries. As part of the effort to privatize the refining sector in country the Ashdod refinery was sold to the Paz Oil Company in 2006.[1]
The refinery commenced operations in 1973, after three years of construction, in order to meet the needs of the Israeli market which exceeded the production capacity of the Haifa Refinery.
The decision to construct a new refinery on the sand dunes north of Ashdod was based on the following considerations: available land, geographical dispersion of refining industries due to security risks, centrally located in the heart of the country’s area of consumption, occupational opportunities for Ashdod, proximity to the Pi Glilot fuel depot and the Eshkol Power Station.
Today, a pipeline connects the refinery to the national fuel pipeline, the crude oil Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline and two Israel Electric Company sea lines in Ashdod.
The Ashdod Refinery is also connected to the national natural gas distribution grid. The use of natural gas significantly reduces the emission of contaminants to the environment, and is economical in energy costs.
An electric and steam plant was constructed on the site of the refinery, which will also be based on natural gas. It entered into operation in 2008.
Israel