For the past three years Gazans have dealt with an increased strain on their power grid during the month of Ramadan, usually eating their two meals (one at dusk and another at dawn) in the dark.
The chronic electricity shortage in Gaza is primarily the result of Israel’s ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip.
The only power plant in Gaza was bombarded in 2006 by an Israeli airstrike. While subsequent repairs have brought the plant back into working order, it operates at only two-thirds capacity because Israel restricts the amount of European Union-supplied industrial fuel allowed through the Nahal Oz crossing point. Diesel smuggled from Egypt is of insufficient quality to fuel the plant. The power plant’s total output is 55 megawatts.
During Ramadan this problem is exacerbated because Palestinians preparing their evening meal all do so around the same time of the afternoon causing the grid to overload and outages to occur.
According to Kanan Ubeid, deputy chief of the Palestinian Energy Authority, “This power crisis can be solved either by increasing the shipment of fuel donated by the EU, or enlarging the Egyptian line to increase its capacity.”
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