MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has given the go-ahead to launch a second power supply cable in the first phase link-up for Crimea.

The Russian president gave the go-ahead for the launch of the power cable during a video link-up between the Kremlin and the Black Sea peninsula.

After Ukraine blocked electricity supply to Crimea for ten days, President Putin visited the Crimean capital of Simferopol on December 2 to give start to the launch of the 1st 200 MW power cable running from the southern Krasnodar Territory to the Black Sea peninsula.

The Russian leader said then that "the second power cable would be put into operation by December 15" and "its capacity will already be 400 MW."

As the Crimean authorities say, after the second power cable comes into operation, all enterprises on the Black Sea peninsula will start working in full. Also, the Crimean authorities are planning to switch on street lights in cities and elevators, resume trolley-bus communication and allow restaurants work at nighttime.

Rolling blackout schedules for households will be cancelled in most populated areas.

The Russian president earlier set the task to fully substitute Ukraine’s electricity flows to Crimea by the start of the next summer season.

The second phase of electricity supply from mainland Russia to Crimea envisages laying two more power cables to the Black Sea peninsula with a capacity of 200 MW each.

Overall, the plan of connecting the Crimean energy system with Russia’s power grid via four underwater cables with a total capacity of 800 MW also envisages establishing two new substations and building over 500 km of high-voltage electricity transmission lines.

Putin has said this work has to be synchronized with gas suppliers and the builders of a thermal power station to "provide for Crimea’s own additional power generation in 2017."

The Crimean authorities held a referendum on March 16, 2014 on local residents’ attitude to Crimea’s reunification with Russia. With a record turnout of over 80%, 96.7% of Crimean residents and 95.6% of electors living in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol voted for the Black Sea peninsula’s reintegration into Russia.

The treaty on integrating the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol into Russia was approved by both houses of the Russian parliament, after which President Putin signed a federal law on incorporating two new constituent entities into the Russian Federation.

Ukraine, the United States and the European Union have refused to recognize Crimea as part of Russia, despite the referendum’s convincing results.

Crimea used to be part of Russia from 1784 until 1954 when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev handed it over to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in a voluntaristic act. Crimea remained part of independent Ukraine after the USSR collapsed in 1991.