The Gate system acts as Rift containment. Containment is kept as long as it has electrical power. The system simply needs to remain functional to mitigate the expansion of the Rift. The Rift creates an unstable two direction tunnel with no predictable way to determine where it connects without use of the Gate system.
In the current form the Gate system temporarily stabilizes the Rift into a more predictable Inapposite Gate. The stabilization process requires a person with significant psychic ability to act as a battery. The battery has to stay with the open gate at all times and therefore can’t make use of the stable gate. The gate continuously draws life force from the battery which after prolonged use becomes detrimental without time for recovery.