GAZA POWER PLANT STOPS WORKING AT FULL CAPACITY

Gaza, 19 Muharram 1436/13 November 2014 (MINA) – The Gaza power station stopped working on Wednesday morning (12/11) after fuel supplies that had been allowed in two days ago almost ran out.

According to head of the power plant in Gaza Rafiq Maliha, the regular entry of fuel shipments to Gaza stopped on Tuesday (11/11) after Israel closed the Karam Abu Salem border crossing in the aftermath of the unfortunate explosion accident that happened to an oil tanker truck there, The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

A Palestinian man was killed and two others were injured early Tuesday when a tanker truck carrying diesel fuel from Israel to Gaza exploded on the Palestinian side of the Karam Abu Salem crossing. The cause of the explosion is still unknown.

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The Israeli occupation authority said it had suspended the flow of fuel supplies to Gaza until the damage caused by the incident was repaired.

The local power company warned that homes would receive only six hours of electricity a day until the problem was resolved.

Israel’s bombing of main fuel tanks used to generate electricity during the last war on Gaza caused a considerable electrical power deficit, and now the power plant only produces 90 megawatts out of a total capacity of 140 MW.

The plant provides power to around half of Gaza’s 1.8 million people.(T/P008/R03)

Mi’raj islamic News Agency (MINA)