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Crimean population gets electricity in full volume - Energy Minister

MOSCOW, March 24./ITAR-TASS/. The population of Crimea is getting electric power in full volume, Russia's Energy Minister Aleksander Novak told reporters on Monday.

“The repair of two power transmission lines has not affected the energy supply of infrastructure facilities, social facilities and life support facilities of Crimea. Russia’s Energy Minister continues to act under the developed plan of measures to improve reliability of the peninsula’s energy system. At the moment, the entire Crimean population receives electricity in the needed volume,” Novak said.

According to previous Itar-Tass reports with reference to Rustam Temirgaliyev, the first vice premier of the Republic of Crimea, on the night to Monday Ukraine cut the volume of electricity supplied to Crimea by 50%. The company DTEK Energo that is engaged in the distribution of electric power in Crimea announced the drop in electricity supply by breakdowns at transmission lines.

Analysts of Renaissance Capital Vladimir Sklyar told Itar-Tass that the 50% cut in electricity supply to Crimea had a political subtext. “Two power transmission lines are double lines in the structure. Factually, all the four from the total four lines have gone out of order. And they run in different parts,” Sklyar said.

According to him, coping with breakdowns does not require serious funding. “If it’s a wire breakage, it is repaired within an hour. The replacement of one kilometre of a power transmission line costs 600,000 US dollars, and here we have a span of 100 metres. It does not cost much,” Sklyar said.

After the power line capacity loss, the Crimean Energy Systems company conducted a planned phased blackout on the peninsula under the established procedure.

Temirgaliyev had said that Crimea was ready for such steps of Kiev and promptly responded to the electricity supply cuts.

Terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall

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