KIEV, November 25. /TASS/. Ukraine’s ministry of energy and coal industry has allowed one electricity provider, Energoset, to buy electricity from Russia, Ukraine’s publication Apostrof said on Tuesday.

“In conditions of colder weather and on the backdrop of decreasing coal supplies to Ukraine’s electricity generating companies, electricity shortages are forecasted in Ukraine’s energy system. The ministry of energy and coal industry has no objections against electricity imports from Russia’s Unified Energy System of up to 1,500 megawatt,” Apostrof cited a document signed by deputy minister Vadim Ulida.

According to the publication, the permit was issued back on November 14 and allowed electricity imports from the following day.

As of today, TASS has no information whether electricity imports from Russia have started or not.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Yuri Prodan told TASS that Ukraine was looking at a possibility of importing electricity from Russia, although a final decision had not yet been taken. He also said that the state-owned company Ukrinterenergo had started negotiations with the Russian side.

“Based on a corresponding resolution of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council, I issued an order to Ukrinterenergo to conduct talks with the Russian side to see how much electricity can be imported and at which price,” he said.

On November 15, President Petro Poroshenko asked the energy ministry to look at possible buying Russian electricity in case it was economically grounded.