Inter RAO UES halves power supply to Belarus because of debt
MOSCOW. June 9 (Interfax) - Inter RAO UES (RTS: IRAO, Russia's electricity import and export monopoly, has reduced supplies of electricity to Belarus starting from June 9, a source close to the company told Interfax.
Belarus's debt for power supplies has reached 1.5 billion rubles since February, he said.
"Electricity supplies have been reduced by 200-300 MW from 400-500 MW," the source said.
Belarus has ten days until June 19 to repay its debt in order to have power supplies resumed in full, he said.
"If the importer of Russian electricity fails to repay the debt by then, power supplies will be stopped completely," he said.
Inter RAO UES has coordinated the power supply cut with System Operator, the Russian power sector's central dispatch authority.
Inter RAO UES declined to comment.
Belarus will make every effort to pay its debt for Russian electricity as quickly as possible, the Belenergo power utility said.
"We have asked and are asking the government to assist in this matter and to acquire the hard currency needed. But this is a lot of money and it is not always easy to find it quickly. But we will try as hard as possible to settle with our partner Inter RAO UES as quickly as possible," Belenergo's deputy general director, Mikhail Luzin, told Interfax.
Luzin acknowledged that Inter RAO UES had reduced electricity supplies due to debts. He could not say how quickly the debt might be repaid nor, on commercial secrecy grounds, whether fines would be incurred.
Belenergo will keep all consumers supplied with electricity from its own sources, he said.
Luzin said Belarus stopped buying Ukrainian electricity in May because it did not have enough foreign exchange to pay for it.