EU completes 0.5-MW solar installation in Gaza

The EU has switched on a 0.5-MW solar system in the Gaza strip that will power the EU-funded Southern Gaza Desalination Plant, according to a press release on Thursday by the EC.

The system is described as the biggest photovoltaic solar field in Gaza.

The Southern Gaza Desalination Plant at the moment provides drinking water to 75,000 people in the Khan Younis and Rafah governorates and thanks to the solar system and additional planned investments it is expected to reach 250,000 people in Southern Gaza by 2020.

Limited energy supplies in Gaza are one of the key challenges to improving access to safe and drinkable water, explained Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. "The photovoltaic solar field is essential to respond to the urgent water needs in Gaza and create dignified living conditions for its people, thus mitigating tensions in a highly conflict sensitive area," Hahn added.

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