Energy Ministry Opens National Energy-Storage Strategy for Public Comment

The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure opened its first proposed national energy-storage strategy for public comment on November 12. Its Sustainable Energy Division is seeking changes to project regulation, grid planning and storage in homes, businesses and essential services. Comments are due by December 3. The ministry said developer surveys identified regulatory complexity as the “main and most critical bottleneck.” It accounted for 29% of the weighted barriers, followed by economic uncertainty at 23% and lengthy grid-connection waits at 22%. The proposal would set quantified storage objectives by voltage level and geographic distribution, publish dynamic grid-load maps and create a ministry-led team to resolve project obstacles. It also calls for regulator response deadlines and advance consultation on new requirements. Another proposed track would examine distributed batteries, including alternatives to polluting apartment-building generators and storage for frontline communities, hospitals and desalination facilities. A fourth would prepare for storage lasting more than 12 hours and seasonal needs, with economic arrangements, hydrogen and other fuel alternatives, and controlled regulatory trials. The document links storage to objectives of 30% renewable electricity generation by 2030 and 35%–40% by 2035. The ministry explains that solar generation peaks around midday while demand peaks in the evening, and that Israel’s grid has no interconnection with neighboring countries. It describes the consultation as the first step toward a national strategy, with public and professional comments helping shape the final version.