'If Nasrallah wants to take down Israel's power grid, he only needs to make a call,' Noga CEO says

CEO of Noga - Israel Independent System Operator Ltd., Shaul Goldstein, said there is no guarantee that there will be electricity in Israel in the event of a future war with Hezbollah on Thursday at the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Sderot.

“After 72 hours without electricity in Israel, living here will be impossible. We are not in a good state and unprepared for a real war," Goldstein said. He added that Hezbollah could easily take down Israel's power grid.

“If Nasrallah wants to take down Israel's power grid, he only needs to make a phone call to the person in charge of Beirut's power system, which looks exactly like Israel's. He doesn't even need a drone; he can call a second-year electrical engineering student and ask where the most critical points in Israel are – everything is on the internet. I won't say it here, but anyone who goes on the internet can find it,” Goldstein said. 

“Israel is an energy island, and we need to supply ourselves – this is also our advantage; we are trained to work in isolation. When I took the position and began researching what the real threat to the electricity sector is, I asked – let's say a missile hits the electricity sector, and there's a power outage for one hour, three hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, and beyond. What happens to Israel in such a situation? The bottom line is that after 72 hours – it is impossible to live in Israel,” Goldstein warned at the beginning of his remarks.

He added, “People do not understand how much our lives here depend on electricity.”

“You check all our infrastructures – optical fibers and ports- and I won't get into sensitive issues, but we are not in a good state,” Goldstein warned. “We are not ready for a real war. We live in a fantasy world, in my opinion.”

He then added that Israel has invested a lot in protection in a joint effort with the electric company. 

Goldstein concluded his statements, “If the war is postponed by a year, five, ten – our situation will be better."

CEO of Bituach Leumi calls Goldstein's comments 'irresponsible'

Bituach Leumi’s CEO, Meir Spiegler, called Shaul Goldstein’s statements regarding the “fragility” of the power grid “irresponsible” and “disconnected from reality.” He added that it “creates panic among the public” and that “It would be better if he focused on managing Noga, which has regressed since he took office.”

The Energy Ministry said in response that the state of Israel’s energy is “robust and ready to deal with all possible scenarios.”

"Since the beginning of the war, the ministry has been tirelessly working to ensure the energy supply for all citizens of the country, preparing meticulously for extreme scenarios and possible supply disruptions. These efforts are being carried out in close cooperation with security agencies to manage electricity demand, energy redundancy, and fuel reserves,” the ministry’s statement read.

"There are several scenarios, including the 'blackout' scenario in which over 60% of households may be left without electricity for up to 72 hours, which is an extreme scenario with low probability. However, the ministry continuously works to reduce the likelihood of this scenario and to prepare for a swift recovery from a blackout, should it occur," the statement continued.

The Energy Ministry called upon Israeli citizens to prepare for any situation in accordance with Home Front Command directives, including carrying batteries, water, and portable chargers.

Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen commented, “The State of Israel will not be left alone. We are preparing for every scenario, holding discussions and assessing the situation, and spending billions of shekels to ensure a regular supply of energy to all Israeli citizens.”

He continued, “In recent months, we have increased our inventory and purchased a lot of equipment in order to have backups. The State of Israel has the ability to generate electricity from a large variety of sources - we have gas rigs, we have huge reserves of coal, and we also generate electricity from renewable energy. Many actions, which cannot be specified, have been taken to ensure a regular energy supply. The chance of a power outage for many days is very low."

He then added, "It is important for me to make it clear to our enemies: If there is a power outage lasting for hours [in Israel], in Lebanon, there will be a power outage for months."