Page 38 - What Kind of Yemen ?

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Yemen possesses considerable oil and natural gas reserves. How-
ever, nobody can say that Yemen is making full use of these. Despite
having the fourth largest population in the Middle East – if we exclude
Palestine – it has the lowest electricity production. Installed power per
capita in Yemen is a mere 40 W, compared to 857 W in Turkey.

According to World Bank figures, only 40% of the population of
Yemen have access to electricity. The electric network does not cover
the entire country, and the existing electrical infrastructure is antiquat-
ed, so much so that around 25% of the electricity produced is lost dur-
ing transmission. So why is energy production in Yemen, with its rich
oil and natural gas resources, so inadequate? The answer is quite obvi-
ous:
Energy resources in Yemen are used for export. According to the
IMF, 60% of public revenue comes from oil and natural gas sales. But

according to reports in the Yemeni press, the public finds itself unable
to benefit sufficiently from this revenue.

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