Palestine's energy consumption
Palestine faces significant challenges in energy consumption, primarily due to the lack of local natural resources for energy production. As a developing region, it has a growing reliance on costly fossil fuels to meet increasing energy demands, particularly in the electricity sector. The Palestinian National Authority projects that the electricity demand in the West Bank and Gaza Strip may quadruple by 2020, driven by one of the fastest-growing populations globally. Despite these growing needs, Palestine remains one of the most energy-impoverished areas, with an average electricity consumption of just 950 kilowatt-hours per capita per year as of 2013.
The Gaza Strip Power Plant, the only power facility on Palestinian territory, commenced operations in 2004 but currently operates at only half its designed capacity due to inadequate infrastructure and other challenges. Additionally, the potential use of local gas resources has not been realized. In light of these circumstances, strategies to modernize energy consumption and reduce reliance on Israeli sources are being explored. There is also a growing interest in renewable energy, particularly solar power, which is feasible given the region's high solar exposure. However, high costs continue to impede the full development of these renewable resources. As oil prices rise and energy independence becomes a priority, the exploration of renewable options is gaining renewed attention in Palestine’s energy strategy.
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Palestine's energy consumption
Official Name: Palestinian territories (generic for Palestinian-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip); Occupied Palestinian Territories (used by the United Nations), State of Palestine (proclaimed in exile, 1988).
Summary: Energy is a key factor for the economic growth of Palestine and could increase tensions with neighboring countries, especially Israel, on which the Palestinian National Authority is wholly dependent for its energy needs.
Unlike several countries in the Middle East, Palestine has been unable to exploit any local natural resources to produce energy, and the region’s increasing energy demands, especially in the electricity sector, have to be met with a growing dependence on costly fossil fuels. As a developing nation, Palestine needs energy to sustain its economic growth, and the supply of energy at sensible prices is one of the least addressed reasons of conflict with Israel. Conversely, an effective peace process should take this matter into serious account. As Palestine has one of the fastest-growing populations in the world, the Palestinian National Authority has predicted that the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will witness a fourfold increase in electricity demands by 2020, along with a significant rise in demand for motor fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Nevertheless, Palestinians remain among the most energy-impoverished populations in the world. The average electricity consumption was 950 kilowatt-hours per capita per year as of 2013. The total installed electric generation capacity is 140 megawatts.
The Gaza Strip Power Plant was another important project. The only electric power plant on Palestinian ground, the plant was commenced in 1999, when the Palestinian National Authority formed a partnership with the Greek company CCC and Enron. A key goal of the plant was to provide energy for the process of water desalinization, a particularly critical issue for the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. The construction of the plant, however, ran into several obstacles, including Enron’s bankruptcy and the violent events linked to the second Intifada. The plant started to be commercially operative in 2004. While its rated output is estimated at 140 megawatts, the plant is currently working at about half this capacity, for lack of an adequate transmission infrastructure. In addition, although the plant was conceived to exploit gas, the Palestinians have so far been unable to use the Gaza gas field to operate the plant. The desalinization programs, therefore, remain largely unrealized.
Other possible strategies to reduce Palestinian reliance on Israeli energy supply point to a reduction in wasteful energy consumption through the modernization of industries and campaigns for a more careful domestic use of electricity. In addition, the Palestinian National Authority is considering the use of renewable energy resources, such as solar thermal and solar photovoltaic. The region is highly exposed to solar radiation, and solar power is already used domestically for water heating. However, the high costs involved in the production of photovoltaic energy have always been considered a great obstacle to the full commercial development of this renewable source. As oil prices rise and reducing the country’s reliance on Israel is becoming a priority, the commercial feasibility of renewable energy has been reconsidered as a possible solution for Palestinian energy needs.
Bibliography
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