Plans for Timna Renewable Energy Park, termed as the centrepiece of the Eilat-Eilot region's efforts to turn Southern Israel into the "Silicon Valley" of renewable energy, are to be disclosed in February.

It will feature technologies from companies around the world, with planned projects to include a combined wind/solar farm; a solar thermal power plant; a solarised turbine pilot plant and the production of biogas from municipal waste.

It is being indicated that the Governments of Israel and the US are to announce four joint projects in the field of alternative energy at the Eilat-Eilot international renewable energy conference in February. The projects will be financed under the auspices of the US-Israel Energy Cooperation Act.

While the act calls for $20 million annually to finance joint ventures, funding is still in the allocation phase and essentially awaits President-elect Barack Obama joining the office, Shlomo Wald, chief scientist of the National Infrastructures Ministry, told The Jerusalem Post.

 "The Ministry of National Infrastructures views with high import the development of the Eilat-Eilot Region as a center of renewable energy solutions, and we not only fully support them in this pursuit, but we ourselves are very involved in advancing their initiatives," said Hezi Kugler, Director General of the Ministry of National Infrastructures.