Israeli-Chinese solar project complete

KATZRIN, Israel, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The largest solar power plant in Israel, a joint venture between Israel and China, was inaugurated this week.

The 50-kilowatt solar project in the northern Israeli town of Katzrin is estimated to be able to generate about 85,000 kilowatt hours per year. It was built jointly by China's Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. and Solarit Doral, an Israeli renewable-energy company, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

"It is very appropriate and natural for Chinese and Israeli companies to work together on this," Zhao Jun, Chinese ambassador to Israel, told Israeli National Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.

Ben-Eliezer, whose ministry announced a plan to produce 20 percent of its electricity through renewable resources by 2020, said Israel and China should expand cooperation in water resources and renewable energy.