5,500 requests to buy shares, an unprecedented number. Since 2008 the company's historic cooling towers have not been in use. One of the towers was converted into a visitor's center, which is open to the public for free, multi-sensory tours. In 2009 the Bazan Group and Olefins companies merged and in 2010 Haifa Basic Oils was fully purchased by Bazan. In 2012 Bazan commissioned UOP's Unicracking strategies in its plants for production of liquid petroleum gas, naphtha, and kerosene. More than 70% of ORL's products are distributed locally (for private and public purposes) and the rest is exported. The company is a direct employer of 1,500 workers and an additional 2,000 contractors; the majority of employees are residents of Haifa and the northern region of Israel. On June 12, 2020, the eastern cooling tower unexpectedly collapsed. Subsidiaries Carmel Olefins is Israel's sole manufacturer of petrochemical products that are used as raw materials for the plastics industry. Carmel manufactures standard and special grades of polypropylene (PP) as well as a broad range of low density polyethylene (LDPE) grades. Gadiv Petrochemicals, opened in 1974, manufactures and supplies a range of petrochemicals products including aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic solvents and intermediates for pharmaceutical, plastic, food and chemical industries. Haifa Basic Oils produces base oils and paraffin wax, exporting nearly 50% of its products to overseas companies. Partnerships and innovation In 2018 Bazan launched BNNovation, an innovation initiative to grow small and larger companies in the fields of energy, renewable energy, and industry. In 2019, BNNovation was among the founders of ESIL Technologies, an international team operating a lab for cleantech innovation and environmental protection. Also in 2019, Bazan won the tender to establish an environmental innovation lab in Haifa Bay together with the Israeli branch of EDF Renewables and Johnson Matthey. Partners include Haier Group Corporation and Leumi Partners. On November 16, 2020, Bazan signed a MOU with the Emirtati energy company Mazrui International to import polymers that are not made in Israel. In Nov 2021, UBQ Materials signed with Bazan to provide climate-friendly thermoplastics for resin products. Environmental impact BAZAN Group's vast petrochemical plants have released significant amounts of pollution to the environment around Haifa Bay. The company has set goals to reduce air pollution, including investing over a billion dollars to develop environmentally-friendly systems. Starting in March 2011, after being connected to the new national natural gas distribution grid, the plants switched