The Dead Sea Works (, Mif'alei Yam HaMelakh) is an Israeli potash plant in Sodom, on the Dead Sea coast of Israel. Originally known as the Palestine Potash Concession, it operated from two sites during the Mandatory Palestine period - Kalya in the north and Sodom in the south.
History Under the British administration, concessions from the Mandatory government were given. On January 1, 1930, the "Concession for the extraction of salts and minerals in the Dead Sea" was granted to Palestine Potash Limited by the governments of Palestine and Transjordan jointly.Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 260, June 1, 1930, p424. The company, whose directors included Moshe Novomeysky, had been incorporated in England in 1929 and registered as a foreign company in Palestine in 1930.Official Gazette of the Government of Palestine, No. 252, February 1, 1930, p76. From 1936, it was a profitable enterprise despite attempts by the German potash cartel to strangle the business by dumping potash at below-cost prices.The political economy of Israel: From ideology to stagnation, Yakir Plessner
In the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the northern half of the production facilities was occupied by the Jordanian Legion, which was destroyed in the ensuing fighting.
In 1951, the company was nationalized by the Israeli government under the Ministry of Development. In 1953, it was renamed the Dead Sea Works.
Today
Dead Sea Works is the world's fourth-largest producer and supplier of potash products. The company also produces magnesium chloride, industrial salts, de-icers, bath salts, table salt, and raw materials for the cosmetic industry. It has customers in over 60 countries. Dead Sea Works is part of the Fertilizers Division of Israel Chemicals Ltd. It is located in the southern basin of the Dead Sea and the extracted chemicals are exported around the world.
Rather than extracting potash and other minerals from the Dead Sea by mining them directly, the company makes use of solar evaporation with 2-meter deep evaporation ponds.
See also Arab Potash Economy of Israel Ahava
References
External links
Company website 19th century boat of British explorer displayed at Dead Sea Works "Wealth from the Dead Sea" Popular Mechanics, November 1930, pp 794-798