The Environmental Protection Ministry imposed a NIS 634,300 fine upon Haifa Bay-based Gadiv Petrochemical on Tuesday for violating the conditions of its emissions permit.
The company, part of the Oil Refineries Ltd. (also known as the Bazan Group), failed to comply with permit's requirements to install equipment to treat volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide emissions by a specific date.
Environmental Protection Minister MK Gila Gamliel declared in a statement, in response to the decision, that "the closure of polluting factories from Haifa Bay has begun."
She continued, saying "I recently led a government decision to establish an executive committee to discuss the issue. The Environmental Protection Ministry will continue to work to reduce air pollution throughout the country, through a myriad of enforcement actions."
"In this instance, as always, we acted in a deterrent manner against a polluting factory, and we will not hesitate to do so whenever a public hazard is created," Gamliel concluded.
In July of 2018, Gadiv, which manufactures aromatics and other chemicals, installed a Regenerative Catalytic oxider, about nine months after the deadline which was set in the permit, only accelerating the purchase after the ministry carried out administrative enforcement procedures against them for missing the deadline.
"Supervision and enforcement steps taken by the MoEP have, to date, accelerated the construction and installation of emissions treatment equipment at several Bazan companies, and has led to the construction of temporary facilities to deal with emissions until the permanent ones are installed," a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement following the announced sanction.
On Gadiv's website, in the sustainability section, the company claims "Bazan group makes certain that it follows all formal standards and regulations set by the different government authorities, which are amongst the strict in the Western world.""Sustainability is a key factor in the decision making process not only in order to comply with all mandatory standards and regulations, but also as part of our goal to be in the front line of environmental technological innovation as well as innovative and advanced solutions in all areas of activities," the site states.