The energy officials from Turkey met their Palestine counterparts in Gaza to find a feasible solution to decade-long electricity problems on Tuesday.
"We obtained all the information we need to solve Palestine’s energy crisis, and we will take all necessary steps to root out the power related problems in the Gaza Strip," said Safa Ozturk, a senior official of Turkey's energy ministry.
Sheikh Halil, vice president for energy and natural resources of Palestian Authority, said that the parties discussed urgent solutions to alleviate the energy crisis of the strip.
Expanding the capacity of the only existing power plant in the region or building a new natural gas pipeline from Israel to the existing power plant, which burns diesel for electricity generation, are among the possible solutions that both sides discussed, he added.
Following the visit to Gaza, the Turkish delegation is expected to provide a report on its findings and possible solutions to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak.
The report will include an assessment of the strip’s energy needs; facts about the local production, transmission and distribution of energy, and recommendations for tackling the chronic problems plaguing war-battered Gaza’s electricity infrastructure.
The report will also be submitted to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish cabinet, after which a roadmap will be prepared on means of implementing the report’s recommendations.
A number of private Turkish companies have reportedly expressed interest in helping meet Gaza’s energy needs in terms of the production, transmission and distribution.
The influx of Turkish humanitarian efforts into Gaza comes within the context of a deal signed late last month between Turkey and Israel in which the two agreed to restore diplomatic relations following a six-year hiatus.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has groaned under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade that has deprived the enclave’s roughly 1.9 million inhabitants of their most basic needs, especially food, fuel, medicine and construction supplies.
Reporting by Muhammed Macid and Daniel Gallego in Gaza
Writing by Huseyin Erdogan
Anadolu Agency
huseyin.erdogan@aa.com.tr