Azerbaijan schedules reduced electricity supply due to unpaid bills

Source: BBC Monitoring Central Asia Publication date: Jan 25, 2000

Excerpt from report by Azerbaijani news agency Turan

Baku, 25th January: Starting from 25th January planned stoppagesof the electric power supply throughout the territory of therepublic will be implemented in Azerbaijan. Stoppage of theelectric power supply is to be implemented from 0100 [2100 gmt]to 0700 [0300 gmt]. The chairman of Azerenerzhi [Azerbaijanienergy], Muslum Imanov, said that the electric power would becut off throughout the territory of the republic, apart fromBaku, also from 0700 [0300 gmt] to 0900 [0500 gmt] and from 1900[1500 gmt] to 2400 [2000 gmt]. Imanov said this in his interviewto Channel One of state television. Imanov said that the mainreason for this measure was a shortage of electric power. Imanovsaid that when the temperature falls by one degree Celsius, therequirement in electric power increases by 1.5 per cent.

The director of the Bakelektroset [Baku electric network]Industrial Association, Yusif Alasgarov, said that a reductionof the power supply in Baku had started from the beginning ofthe year. From 25th January this reduction is being implementedin accordance with a schedule coordinated with the Mayor'sOffice. The economy drive will mainly be implemented from 1200[0800 gmt] to 1700 [1300 gmt] and from 0100 [2100 gmt] to 0600[0200 gmt]. However, the most important facilities, i.e.hospitals, clinics, schools, kindergartens, television and radiocompanies etc., will be taken into consideration.

Azerenerzhi told Turan news agency that one of the main reasonsfor cutting off the power supply was the debts of thepopulation. On average, only 30 per cent of all the payments forelectric power are being collected annually. This leads to alack of funds for repairing the lines of electricitytransmission, transformer stations and other equipment.

[Passage omitted: repeat of the report by ANS TV, Baku, in Azeri1100 gmt 24 Jan 00 "Azeri TV reports stoppage in broadcasts atnight due to energy shortage"]

Last night many citizens of Baku already suffered a stoppage ofelectric power. The electric power supply was stopped last nightin some subdistricts, in the settlements of Ahmadli and 8thkilometre.

Azerbaijan's requirement for electric power in 1999 was 18,225bnkW/ hour. In the same year Azerenerzhi produced 18,062bn kW/hour.The forecast for 2000 says that it is planned to produce17,800bn kW/hour in Azerbaijan. The data of the Ministry ofEconomy say that it is not profitable to increase production ofelectric power because the collected funds for utilized powerare too low.

Publication date: Jan 25, 2000

) 1999, NewsReal, Inc.

Link to story:

http://beta.newsreal.com/cgi-bin/NewsService?osform_template=pages/newsrealStory&ID=newsreal&storypath=News/Story_2000_01_25.NRdb@2@16@3@833&path=News/Category.NRdb@2@16

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 26, 2000