Sole Gaza Power Station Closed Over Fuel Shortage

The sole power station in Gaza shut down due to a fuel shortage. The power plant shut down on Saturday.

Israel closed the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings with Gaza on Tuesday following the arrest of a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader and his aide in the West Bank city of Jenin. Diesel for the power plant typically comes from Egypt or Israel, but the power station has gone without diesel deliveries since the closure of the crossings.

Prior to the shutdown, the power station provided 12 hours of electricity a day. Under these new conditions, Gazans only have access to four hours of electricity a day. Gaza’s electricity company said in a statement on  Saturday that the shutdown will “exacerbate the humanitarian situation.”

The Gaza Strip currently requires around 550 megawatts of electricity per day for its approximately 2 million residents, however, only 180 megawatts have been made available, equal to about four hours of electricity per day.

Palestinian security sources said that there were talks with Israel to reopen one of the crossings for the import of some fuel.