BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
10/03/2008
Belarus starts importing Russian electricity
MINSK, March 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Belarus began importing electricity from Russia on Monday.
"Under a contract between Belarus and Russia, we began importing electricity from Russia at midnight," Vladimir Korduba, adviser of the Belenergo Company's Director General, told Itar-Tass on Monday.
According to Korduba, the contract with the Russian Inter RAO UES (subsidiary of the Russian Unified Energy Systems Company - Itar-Tass) provides for the deliveries of two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Belarus in the current year.
Besides, Belarus hopes for an increase of electricity supplies up to five billion kilowatt-hours, for which an additional contract is expected to be concluded, Kurduba said.
Belarus has not imported electricity since the beginning of the year, he said. The country meets its domestic demand with the help of its own electricity generation.
It is more beneficial for Belarus to import electricity, however.
With this in mind, Belarusian experts are holding talks on the purchase of Ukrainian electricity too. Ukraine suspended electricity deliveries in the summer of 2007 because of its limited capacities, Korduba said.
This year, Belarus plans to import about two billion kilowatt-hours from Ukraine.
Source:
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=12461559&PageNum=0
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