Israel Halts Refinery Operations After Benzene Emission Spike
Translated & summarized from Globes by baba
Israel's Bazan oil refinery suspended maintenance at its Gadiv plant and evacuated nearby schools due to a significant spike in benzene emissions. The Ministry of Environmental Protection halted operations until Bazan presents a detailed pollution prevention plan. Environmental groups are calling for stricter benzene standards and the relocation of the refinery. The shutdown is costing Bazan millions of shekels daily in lost revenue.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Bazan refinery maintenance halted after benzene emissions spiked, exceeding limits by over 300%.
- Two schools in Kiryat Ata were temporarily evacuated due to the pollution.
- The Ministry of Environmental Protection requires a detailed pollution prevention plan before resuming work.
- Environmental groups criticize Israel's benzene standards as too lenient and call for stricter regulations.
- The operational halt is costing Bazan millions of shekels daily in lost revenue.
Operations at Israel's Bazan oil refinery complex in Haifa Bay were partially suspended, including maintenance at the Gadiv plant, following a significant spike in benzene emissions detected near the facility. Two schools in Kiryat Ata, located close to the refinery, were temporarily evacuated as a precaution. While the schools have since reopened as pollution levels have decreased, the maintenance suspension at Gadiv remains in effect until Bazan submits a detailed plan to the Ministry of Environmental Protection to prevent future pollution incidents.
The elevated benzene levels, a byproduct of petroleum and a known carcinogen, were first detected on Saturday at a monitoring station. The readings exceeded 12 micrograms per cubic meter, more than triple the daily average limit of 3.9 micrograms per square meter allowed by Israeli standards. Bazan is permitted up to seven such exceedances annually, but this incident prompted immediate action from the ministry.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection stated that it requires Bazan to submit a comprehensive investigation of the incident and a detailed plan for resuming work. This plan must outline control measures for continuous monitoring and immediate cessation of work if problems arise. The ministry emphasized that maintenance will not resume until this plan is approved.
Environmental group "Adam Teva V'Din" criticized the current Israeli benzene standard as too lenient, calling it the most relaxed in the world and urging its immediate revision to prevent any exceedances. They also reiterated calls to relocate the refinery complex entirely from the Haifa Bay area.
Bazan faces significant financial losses due to the operational halt. The aromatic products division, which uses petroleum derivatives as raw materials for industries like chemicals, plastics, and cosmetics, generated $273 million in revenue in 2025 and $426 million in 2024. Each day of suspended maintenance is estimated to cost Bazan between 2.3 million and 3.6 million shekels in lost revenue.
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