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Palestinians Slam Israel's West Bank Power Project
(Ha'aretz) Hagar Shezaf - The Palestinian Authority's Energy Authority has condemned an Israeli master plan for the development of an electricity grid in the West Bank. The plan seeks for the first time to provide a blueprint for the electricity market in the West Bank through 2040 and to develop infrastructure for Israeli and Palestinian communities there. The portion of the plan devoted to Israeli communities is to be funded and executed by Israel. If the PA refuses to carry out its portion of the plan, that portion won't be implemented. The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) supplies 99% of the electricity in the West Bank, according to the World Bank. The IEC will build a network of high-tension transmission lines, the most expensive component of the plan, that will serve both Israeli and Palestinian communities. Professionals in the Israeli electricity market say the need for long-term planning was recognized years ago, primarily after the Palestinian electricity market grew substantially. Palestinian residents of the West Bank have been experiencing extended electricity shortages in recent months, which the IEC has said are the result of inadequate Palestinian infrastructure. Apart from the Israeli master plan, four electricity substations are currently being established in Palestinian areas of the West Bank with funding from the European Investment Bank.