RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO) announced Sept. 16 that it received the third and final warning from the Israel Electricity Corporation (IEC) to settle its debt within three months. This means that due to the company’s failure to pay its accumulated debts, areas that JDECO supplies electricity to will start witnessing two hours of electricity cuts starting Sept. 22 based on a schedule. 

Following the first warning Aug. 19, JDECO took out a bank loan and paid 100 million Israeli shekels ($28.3 million), of the 1.3 billion shekels ($368 million) outstanding. However, the IEC continued issuing threats.

JDECO is the largest electricity provider in the West Bank, covering Ramallah, al-Bireh, Bethlehem, Jericho, the Jordan Valley and some neighborhood in Jerusalem; 90% of its energy needs come from the IEC.

Ali Hamouda, assistant director general for planning at JDECO, told Al-Monitor that this is not the first time that JDECO has received such a threat, but it looks like the IEC is more determined this time around. “This time we feel it’s really serious, and we don’t want the West Bank to become like the Gaza Strip,” he said.