Germany Pledges €16 Million for the Construction of Two Solar Power Stations
Ramallah, Wednesday, April 20, 2022 -
Under the auspices and in the presence of the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammed Shtayyeh, Palestine and Germany signed an agreement worth (16) million euros to build two solar plants in the Gaza Strip with a total capacity of (18) megawatts on Wednesday at the Prime Minister's office in Ramallah.
The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to Germany for its continued support of Palestine and expressed his pride in that strategic relationship. Moreover, Dr. Shtayyeh noted that this substantial convention serves hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, provides them with a clean energy source, and contributes to reducing the cost of water treatment in line with the priorities of the National Development Plan.
For his part, the representative of Germany to Palestine, Olivier Ovcha, stressed the importance of the convention for several reasons, mainly: improving the living conditions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, reducing water treatment costs, and increasing reliance on clean energy, thus protecting the environment from pollution.
Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian Prime Minister’s adviser for Planning and Aid Coordination, indicated that the first power plant would be in Rafah and the second in Al-Sudaniya to provide solar energy to the desalination plant in the region. The desalination plant in Al-Sudaniya produces about 10,000 cubic meters of drinking water, which is one of several vital projects in the water and sanitation sector. The government, represented by the water authority, had worked to build the Al-Sudaniya plant in the Gaza Strip in cooperation with international partners, including the Federal Republic of Germany.
Salameh further stated that against the backdrop of several challenges, particularly the substantial energy shortage for the operation of those plants. Under the Government's directions, the Palestinian Water Authority and the Energy and National Resources Authority, with international partners, are working to provide as much clean energy and treated drinking water as possible.
Mazen Ghoneim, the Head of the Palestinian Water Authority, jointly with Zafer Melhem, the Head of the Energy and National Resources Authority, and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, Fareed Ghannam, signed the agreement on behalf of the Palestinian government, while David Kunze, the director of the German KfW office signed the agreement on behalf of Germany.