RAMALLAH, January 15, 2016 (WAFA) – Director General of border crossings Nazmi Muhanna said on Sunday that a new gas pipeline for the Gaza Strip has been constructed by the directorate and will be officially inaugurated next month.

Muhanna said that the pipeline, which was created at the instructions of President Mahmoud Abbas, will be a substantial solution to the power crisis that the coastal enclave has recently experienced. He said the pipeline would cover the gas needs of the local Palestinian population of two millions.

Muhanna added that the new pipeline will see 450 tons instead of 250-300 tons of gas being consumed daily in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, deputy president of Gaza’s power authority Thafer Melhem said the new pipeline aims to transform the sole power plant in Gaza from fuel-based into one that relies on natural gas to operate.

This comes amid a crippling electricity crisis which has sparked widespread protests in the besieged coastal enclave in recent days.

M.N