Managing limited water resources with unlimited solutions
Mekorot is not only applying its learnings to solve water issues within Israel but in neighbouring and far-off countries like Jordan and Argentina as well
Water is life. Without this precious resource, life on earth would be impossible. Mekorot, the national water company of Israel, knows it only too well. For 86 years, Merokot has used innovation, technology and continuous research to tap this very precious but scarce resource, and distribute and manage its supply equitably. Merokot continues to develop the water sector while supplying Israel and its neighboring countries with water, while also reducing its carbon footprint and energy costs. The bottom line is a constant battle between using nature’s resource judiciously while also being eco-sensitive.
Since it was founded, Mekorot has been driven by the Israeli spirit of daring, sophistication, and innovation. The location of Israel on the edge of a desert, meagre water resources that are constantly under security threats and a looming climate crisis, has multiplied Mekorot’s challenges.
But with breakthroughs in knowledge, capabilities, and water technologies, Mekorot makes sure it’s end user - the family at home, the farmer in the field, the worker in the factory – is provided with a constant and reliable supply of water.
Despite the challenges, the results it has achieved in the water sector have positioned Mekorot as one of the leading water companies in the world and contributed to the consolidation of Israel's standing as a water powerhouse in the OECD. In May 2022, the organization of the world's top water companies - Global Water Initiative (GWI), announced that Mekorot would join the forum of the world's top six water companies. Two years ago, in 2020, GWI ranked Israel's water sector fourth in the world, declaring that Mekorot was one of the best companies in the world in operational efficiency thanks to its low water depreciation rate of 4% compared with the OECD average of 15%.
A dynamic company in a changing climate
Mekorot supplies more than 1.7 billion cubic metres of water to about 12 million consumers in homes, farms, and factories, including the Palestinian Authority and the Kingdom of Jordan under diplomatic agreements. The company operates around 13,000 km of pipelines, 3,000 production and supply facilities, 1,200 wells, 1,000 reservoirs and pools and 25 desalination plants
On the basis of the knowhow, experience, and capabilities that Mekorot has acquired, it strives to realize the vast potential of water as a resource through investment in startups, business collaborations, applied research, and in-house innovation to develop patentable products.
When experience and technology meet
In the last 86 years, Mekorot has become the byword for technological innovation, multidisciplinary professionalism, and financial soundness. Its proven advantages have enabled it to manage different water sources in an integrated way, develop mega-projects from an overall perspective, implement a circular water sector, and undertake advanced work processes that support its business and operational goals.
Key features of Mekorot's operations:
Financial soundness: Since 2003, Mekorot has consistently had the highest rating of ilAAA from Standard & Poor's Maalot. In 2019, for the first time, Mekorot issued tradable bonds on the basis of a prospectus to the general public in Israel. Since then, Mekorot has filed with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Strategic water management:
Mekorot prides itself in providing an integrated solution mix. Thanks to its multidisciplinary professionalism, the company operates advanced water carrier management and operational models to optimally integrate different kinds of water, desalinated seawater and brackish water, treat effluents, recycle marginal water for agricultural use, restore water sources to proper quality, secure water sources, and more.
Extensive international operations:
In March 2021, Mekorot signed the first agreement of its kind to build and upgrade the water system of the Kingdom of Bahrain, following the signing of the Abraham Accords with Persian Gulf and African countries. In September 2021, Mekorot's supply of water to the Kingdom of Jordan was doubled, and in March 2022, an agreement was signed with the Azerbaijan government to develop a 30-year master plan for the local agricultural sector, and in November 2022 came the first agreement in Morocco. In parallel, Mekorot signed agreements to work in Cyprus, Argentina and India, to cater to their needs in the water sector.
Digital revolution:
In recent years, Mekorot has undergone a comprehensive digital transformation interfacing its OT and IT systems into a uniform command. At the same time, the company has improved it cyber defense capabilities for critical infrastructures. Alongside its vast knowledge of water, the company is at the forefront of installing innovative water technologies. The company has contracted with eight energy management, infrastructure protection, and big data startups to improve its operations as well as its marketing capabilities to make it ready to provide worldwide solutions to the climate crisis.
Sustainable development:
The increasing global aridity is nothing new for Mekorot since it has dealt with the problems of water shortages. But it’s also aware of how to lead with creative solutions. Mekorot is implementing a policy of sustainable development to protect water sources and the environment for the next generations.. The company uses accepted methodologies to measure its carbon footprint, as part of its support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During March 2023 Mekorot’s CEO Amit Lang announced the establishment of the International Water Forum, which will convene once a year and focus on the global effort to solve the global water shortage, which has affected numerous countries. “The sharing of the information we have, and the use of Israeli innovation and water sector start-ups can lead us to a safer future in the current reality of global warming and climate crisis,” said Lang.
Lang made his remarks at the UN World Water Conference held in New York. Mekorot plans to offer its accumulated knowledge about the water sector and its management to various countries while sharing advanced ideas and models for managing shortages in a desert environment or areas lacking advanced water transmission infrastructures.
Reducing the carbon footprint
Mekorot is Israel's largest civilian consumer of electricity (4 to 5% of annual demand), and it is acting to reduce its energy costs, which will reduce both water rates and the company's carbon footprint. Last year, the company launched a project to cover the sides of its water reservoirs with solar panels with the support of the Government Companies Authority and Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance. Mekorot has also begun installing fibre optics along its water lines, which help its routine monitoring of malfunctions and leaks, but also can serve the private market through nationwide high-speed internet communications, especially in the periphery and Judea and Samaria, and reduce construction in open areas.
