With power outages in Aden, the interim capital of Yemen, reaching approximately 18 hours a day, the local currency has witnessed its highest decline since the formation of the Presidential Leadership Council.
The exchange rate of the US dollar has surged to 1,500 Yemeni rials compared to 1,200 rials last month.
According to workers at the electricity company, since Wednesday morning, power blackouts have increased to five hours compared to two hours of electricity due to the outage of the Petromasila station, which produces 90 megawatts of power for the province and the surrounding areas.
Workers at Petromasila attribute the reasons for the outage to the delay in the arrival of crude oil tankers from the province of Shabwah, which is used to operate the station.
They stated that disgruntled soldiers in Abyan province, who were experiencing delays in their salaries, halted the tankers before allowing them to pass on Tuesday evening.
The station will not resume operations until 36 hours have passed since its shutdown.
This will further exacerbate the suffering of the residents, as the temperature rises close to 40°C, accompanied by high humidity.
Moreover, this shortage comes just one day after reducing power outages to four hours, with two and a half hours of electricity, following the shutdown of several power stations due to the poor quality of fuel purchased from a trader, as reported by the workers.
A technical committee has been formed to re-examine the shipment, but the generators resumed operation after three days, and the results of the inspection are still unknown.
Government sources have indicated that the expiration of the fuel assistance provided by Saudi Arabia has significantly increased the burden on the government.
The government currently spends approximately $50 million per month to cover the operational costs of power production stations in Aden and to purchase a portion of the energy from privately-owned generators.
This comes amidst a severe financial crisis faced by the government, which is engaged in an economic war initiated by Houthi militias.
The crisis began with the obstruction of oil exports, followed by the imposition of restrictions on imports through ports under Houthi control, and the prevention of goods transfer from government-controlled areas.
