Yemen Monitor/Aden/Exclusive:
The Yemeni Prime Minister, Salem bin Briek, announced a package of strategic projects to support the country’s electricity sector, totaling one billion dollars, provided as a grant from the United Arab Emirates.
He stressed that these projects aim to put an end to the years of continuous suffering of citizens by transitioning to sustainable and clean energy solutions, instead of relying on temporary and costly measures.
In a press statement, Salem bin Briek revealed the details of the new UAE support for the energy sector, noting that this package comes under the directives of the UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Bin Briek expressed his gratitude on behalf of the government and the Yemeni people for this initiative, which targets one of the most affected sectors in the country.
Bin Briek clarified that the year 2026 will be the “Year of Electricity and Energy” in Yemen, affirming that the announced projects will provide radical solutions for power generation, particularly by relying on “clean energy.”
He pointed out that this shift will save huge amounts of money that were previously wasted without the citizen experiencing any actual improvement in service.
Regarding the project timeline, the Prime Minister confirmed that implementation will effectively begin in the coming few days, expecting these strategic projects to be completed within a period ranging from 12 to 24 months.
He stated, “We have taken the first step, and no matter how difficult it is, we are moving in the right direction.”
The Yemeni official acknowledged that citizens have suffered greatly over the past years from the deterioration of electricity service, noting that the government was stuck in a cycle of easy but ineffective “patchwork solutions.”
He stressed that the current focus is on sustainable strategic projects that will end this suffering and curb the financial waste.
The electricity sector in Yemen, particularly in the liberated governorates and the government’s headquarters in “Aden,” is suffering from a near-complete collapse. The dilapidated stations rely on highly expensive diesel and heavy fuel oil, which massively drains the state budget without providing stable service, with power cuts reaching more than 16 hours a day in the summer.
