Final preparations for a giant hydroelectric project which would yield 500,000,000 kilowatts annually are now under way, it was reported here. The electricity will be generated by the flow of Mediterranean waters into the Dead Sea through a 45-mile long canal. The entire project will cost an estimated 100,000,000 Israel pounds.
The canal, which will be 65 feet wide and ten feet deep, will start near the Kishon River, cross the Jezreel Valley to a point south of Lake Kinneret, and flow into the Jordan River toward the Dead Sea.
After producing the electricity, the waters of the ocean would flow into the Dead Sea, where they would keep the water at its present level. The Dead Sea’s water level would otherwise be lowered by Israel and Jordan water and irrigation plans which contemplate the use of water from the Jordan and Yarmuk Rivers. Electricity produced by this project will be 40 percent cheaper than present methods, which require large amounts of fuel.
At the same time, other smaller electric stations will be established. The most important of these will be north of Lake Kinneret near Tabgha, where Jordan waters can be used to operate turbines, because of an 830 foot drop by the Jordan waters into the lake.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
