Study: Risks, Benefits to Israel of Increasing Reliance on Natural Gas

Israel can make natural gas usage a bigger part of its energy portfolio without jeopardizing its security, but even more importantly, the nation needs to make conservation measures a priority in its future energy plans, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.

“The single most important factor to having a successful energy policy is for Israel to slow the growth in demand for electricity and use its energy more efficiently,” said Steven Popper, lead author of the study and a senior economist with U.S.-based RAND, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization with more than 60 years of experience tackling tough policy problems around the globe.

“Even in those scenarios where conditions favored using natural gas for up to 50 percent of Israel’s electricity-generating fuel needs, the country also needs to maintain a diversified mix of fuels