Israel awards first solar licenses

JERUSALEM, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Israel awarded its first licenses to companies to build solar energy plants in the country.

Arava Power Co. received the first photovoltaic license, the Public Utility Authority announced.

Arava will be allowed to build a 4.9-megawatt solar plant at Kibbutz Ketura in the Eilat region of the Arava desert, The Jerusalem Post reports.

"This is a historic day for renewable energy in Israel," Arava Power Co. President Yosef Abramowitz said in a statement. "For the first time, a large solar project is being launched that will be connected to the national grid, with many more megawatts on the way in the coming years."

The first solar thermal plant will have a capacity of 100 kilowatts and will be built by Edig Solar.

The licenses must be approved by National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.