The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) has concluded an agreement with the Gaza authority of energy and natural resources for the supply of fuel to the Gaza Power Plant, the sole operational power plant in the Gaza Strip, via the Rafah border terminal.

In a press release, the coastal region’s energy authority announced that diesel fuel will be supplied temporarily by the EGPC. The fuel is commonly used for automobiles, but will be employed to power the power plant in order to curb Gaza’s current energy crisis until supplies of industrial fuel can be obtained.

The deal fulfills a pledge made by Egypt to supply Gaza with fuel in response to the power plant going offline. The plant went offline last month after supplies of black market fuel smuggled from Egypt ran out. The shortage is attributed to a crackdown on black market dealings and smuggling by the Egyptian authorities.

The Gaza Power Plant is the largest source of electricity for the strip, with the remainder of the electricity supply coming from Egyptian and Israeli power lines.