Gaza energy authority urges residents to save power

The energy authority in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday urged residents to cut down on electricity use amid critical fuel shortages. Due to interruptions in the fuel supply, the sole power plant in Gaza has reduced its production to 30 megawatts of electricity in the morning and 50 megawatts during the night, the energy authority said in a statement, The power available meets only half the needs of residents, the authority said, adding that electricity use doubles in the summer months. Gaza's Ministry of Energy said Tuesday that deliveries of fuel from Qatar had been reduced by Egypt and Israel, the countries through which it is transited. The ministry said in a statement that it was receiving approximately 100,000 liters of fuel per day, while the power station needs 500,000 liters each day. It blamed "Israeli intransigence and the clear failure of the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum," without elaborating. The sole power plant in Gaza shut down in June because it had run out of fuel after the Qatari shipment was delayed.