CEO of Mekorot: "Innovation is the company's strong growth engine"

"There is no shortage of water in the economy, this is thanks to the right decisions made over the years by Israeli governments and professional bodies," said Amit Lang , CEO of Mekorot, who was hosted at the Maariv economic conference, sponsored by Bank Leumi.

Minister Dichter: "There is no shortage of water in Israel, there is an excess of water"

Shahar Turgeman: "The government is only talking, it is responsible for the cost of living"

Lang took part in a one-on-one interview with journalist Yehuda Sharoni , who asked about doubling the amount of water delivered to Jordan every year. "This is a political matter, it has no influence on it," emphasized Lang, "These are decisions that are made according to political needs, but it is important to remember that 50 million cubic meters more or less does not affect the balance of our water economy – it is stable and strong."

Lang emphasized that Mekorot is making sure to invest over NIS 1.5 billion in the network and the sources of supply. "This ensures that we will be number one in the world in the security of water supply and infrastructure," he explains, "This happens because we routinely work on improving systems and water supply, even without war. There are always challenges that affect the water market, whether it's climatic phenomena affecting a network electricity, so we are constantly working to increase redundancy in the system, so that we will not be dependent on extreme situations such as drops in the electricity grid or the closing of a desalination plant due to a storm at sea."

Lang added that alongside the investment in infrastructure there is an unprecedented investment in innovation. "We also provide consulting and support services to huge water corporations in the world, where we integrate all the things we have learned and developed, including advanced technologies. We receive inquiries from all over the world, we are already working in seven provinces in Argentina and we have many projects in countries such as India, Bahrain, Azerbaijan and more ".

In addition, Lang points out that Mekorot invests in nine start-up companies, with two more in the pipeline. "Mekorot innovates through a series of activities," he explains, "it is the company's strongest growth engine. There is an internal innovation track, where we produce solutions through our employees. At the same time, there is the external track, as part of which we either invest in the company or buy the The service. If we invest, it should be a proven pilot that we achieve something practical, streamlining or growth, something that can be quantified. The second thing is to make sure that the company is in the stages of maturity – that our contribution can really help it move to the next stage."