Gaza Power Station To Shut Down By This Weekend

Gaza's only power plant may close by the end of this week due to the European Union's decision to stop buying fuel to power the plant.

According to Rafeeq Maliha, director of the power plant in Gaza, "The EU, since November, has stopped funding the diesel purchase for the station."

Maliha warns that without intervention from the Palestinian Authority, the densely populated Gaza Strip will be without many basic services that require an adequate amount of electricity.

Engineer Imad Canaan, vice president of the Palestinian Power Authority, also corroborated upon the EU's decision to stop paying for fuel. He explains that the power authority is unable to continue providing adequate energy resources to the citizens of Gaza. The Israeli blockade and the suspension of EU support has reduced the output of the station 50%.

The Gaza Power Plant has been repeatedly and deliberately bombarded by Israel, most notably during the recent Operation Cast Lead. The Israeli blockade upon Gaza has prohibited materials from entering that could repair the plant, returning it to full operational capacity.

Source: International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC).
Link: http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57749.