The besieged Gaza Strip’s only power plant announced on Thursday that it was unable to operate on more than one generator after exhausting its fuel reserves. In a statement, the electricity supplier noted that efforts were being made to obtain fuel in the coming week.
Even at full capacity, Egyptian and Israeli electricity grids, together with Gaza’s sole power plant, fail to cover the Gaza Strip’s energy needs.
The power plant has not run at full capacity in years, with Israel’s crippling blockade severely limiting fuel imports into the coastal enclave. Gaza has experienced severe electricity shortages over the years, exacerbating already dire living conditions in the small Palestinian territory.
Gaza Power Plant Again Out of Fuel https://t.co/nCwfUSUSZp pic.twitter.com/mBhD4DuGYs
— IMEMC News (@imemcnews) August 18, 2016
Gaza’s usual electricity schedule allows only eight hours of power at a time. The area’s electricity crisis made headlines in May when three children died in a house fire caused by candles that the family used during a power cut.
During Israel’s 50-day war on Gaza in 2014, the power plant was targeted, completely knocking it out of commission.
(MA’AN, PC)
