GAZA, (PIC)
The Gaza Electricity Distribution Company estimated the initial losses in the electricity sector at about $450 million. These figures are preliminary due to the ongoing war in Gaza and the difficulty in documenting all losses. It noted that the process of restoring electricity will occur in several phases, with the first phase expected to take six months if the necessary equipment is available.
Mohammad Thabet, the company’s Director of Public Relations and Media, said that 90% of the electricity distribution company’s warehouses have been completely or partially destroyed during the continuous war, which has now entered its fourteenth consecutive month. Additionally, 70% of the company’s buildings and facilities have been entirely or partially destroyed during the Israeli war on the Strip.
Thabet explained in press statements that the Israeli extermination war has led to the destruction of 90% of the company’s machinery and equipment, including trucks and cranes that were designated for work and network extension.
He pointed out that the war has resulted in the destruction of 68% of the electrical networks at both low and medium voltage levels, as well as a 100% loss in the operation and control sector, alongside equivalent losses in the commercial sector of the distribution company in Gaza.
Thabet indicated that restoring electricity after the war will go through several phases, starting with re-establishing lines for essential and vital services, a task that is expected to take six months once the necessary equipment is brought in immediately after the war ends.
He noted that after that, they will consider extending electricity to residential neighborhoods, then move on to rebuilding medium and low voltage networks and establishing the networks anew after the destruction they have suffered.
Currently, the estimated and announced losses are limited to the distribution company’s sector in Gaza, while there are no clear losses related to the energy sector concerning production, particularly at the only power plant located near the Wadi Gaza area, which is continuously targeted.
On October 7, 2023, the ousted Minister of the occupation army, Yoav Galant, decided to cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip and halt fuel supplies that power the only generation station, turning the Strip into a completely dark area just days after the announcement, and it remains so.
After that, the occupation proceeded to destroy the infrastructure of the electricity sector, making access to electricity an exceptional matter, only reachable through alternative sources like solar energy and some generators that continued to operate for a few weeks during the Israeli extermination war.
The electricity outage in Gaza negatively affected the lives of 2.4 million Palestinians, particularly regarding communication, as well as providing water in homes during the early months of the war and the difficulty in pumping it into houses amid power outages. There were also negative repercussions on the health sector due to the fuel crisis, often leading to the suspension and scheduling of operations based on the availability of fuel necessary to run small generators.
During the war, Palestinians relied on solar-powered points to charge their smartphones or some batteries for lighting, in exchange for financial amounts, although weather conditions, particularly in winter, negatively impacted energy availability.
Before the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, which has extended into its second year, the coastal enclave suffered from recurring energy crises due to the poor operation of existing generators at the electricity generation company, which required continuous development. Furthermore, the occupation did not increase the quantities supplied through the lines connecting the Strip to the 1948 occupied territories, and the lines from Egypt have been halted for years.
According to data from the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company and the Energy Authority, the Strip’s needs range from 400 to 500 megawatts, reaching up to 600 megawatts during peak usage in winter and summer. The available supply from various Egyptian and Israeli sources, along with production from the power station, does not exceed 250 megawatts, resulting in a shortfall of between 50% and 70% when the station is affected, which reflected on the nature of electricity distribution schedules before the war.
