SIMFEROPOL, December 29. /TASS/. The integration of the power grids of the Crimean peninsula and the rest of Russia has been completed, the country’s Deputy Energy Minister Yevgeny Grabchak announced on Thursday.

Grabchak was taking part in the launch of three substations in Crimea via a video link.

"We can already say that the full integration of the power supply system of the Crimean peninsula and the rest of Russia has been completed. The Crimean power grid is becoming even more integrated [with the power supply system of mainland Russia] and thanks to grid construction efforts we can ensure an independent power supply to the new territories of Russia - the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions," Grabchak said.

"The decisions and activities that we took are of systemic importance. Our future efforts will bring the power supply system of the Crimean peninsula to a higher quality level in terms of reliability and security," he added.

Earlier, two restored power lines were launched in Crimea, which will connect the local power system with the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. The power capacity will be about 600 MW.

These power lines were blown up on November 22, 2015 by Ukrainian saboteurs after Crimea’s reunification with Russia. More than 2 million residents of Crimea were left without electricity. The power supply system of the peninsula switched to an isolated mode of operation, a state of emergency was introduced, and rolling blackouts began to be applied. The situation improved with the launch of a 400 MW energy bridge from the Kuban across the Kerch Strait. Then, new networks were built, and power units of the Balaklava TPP in Sevastopol and the Tavricheskaya TPP in Simferopol were launched.