Yemen Monitor | Newsroom:
Yemeni Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaya Al-Zindani said that the recent Saudi support package for Yemen’s energy sector has entered the implementation phase, emphasizing that it will help provide the fuel needed to operate power plants and improve electricity services in the coming period.
In remarks to the Saudi newspaper Okaz, Al-Zindani stated that the government places the electricity sector at the top of its priorities and is addressing the crisis through two parallel tracks: emergency measures to meet summer demand and long-term strategic solutions aimed at improving the electricity sector over the medium and long term.
He noted that the government, which has been in office for only about three months, fully understands the hardship citizens face due to the poor state of electricity services. However, it is confronting challenges that have accumulated over many years. He added that the electricity sector suffered extensive damage during the years of war, affecting infrastructure as well as power generation, transmission, and distribution systems.
Al-Zindani said the government is implementing new electricity-generation projects and working to upgrade power networks and substations. At the same time, it is securing fuel supplies for existing power stations and carrying out necessary maintenance work, despite the high cost of emergency solutions.
He stressed that even if all current power plants were operating at full capacity, they would still be unable to meet the growing electricity demand during the summer. According to Al-Zindani, electricity demand exceeds available generation capacity by approximately three times.
He also pointed out that electricity losses exceed 30 percent because of the deterioration and weakness of transmission networks. The government, he said, is working to ensure fuel deliveries reach the city of Aden, combat the smuggling of mazut and diesel fuel, and secure the quantities required to keep power plants running.
Al-Zindani revealed that the government is preparing strategic solutions that include upgrading existing power plants, expanding solar energy projects, and constructing a 1,000-megawatt gas-fired power station in partnership with the private sector.
He praised the support provided by Saudi Arabia across various sectors, confirming that the energy-sector assistance package is being implemented gradually. He added that large fuel shipments have already arrived, while additional supplies continue to be delivered to meet operational needs.
