Crimea Gets Power from Russia; Not Dependent on Ukraine
President of Russia Vladimir Putin participated Wednesday in the launch of the first stage of a power bridge to Crimea. The ceremony was held during a visit to the Krymenergo company in Simferopol.
Crimea lost all electricity on the night of November 22, when pylons carrying power lines from Ukraine were blown up.
The power bridge, which is being laid from Krasnodar Territory across the bottom of the Kerch Strait, will eliminate the peninsula’s dependency on “imported electricity.”
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“We are beginning work to connect the Crimean peninsula to Russia’s unified energy system,” Putin said. “We have built more than one hundred kilometres of high-voltage electric cables and today, we are connecting the first power line.”
Crimea used to receive 800 megawatts of electricity from Ukraine. Four power lines, which are expected to be complete by December 20, will also provide just over 800 megawatts, Putin said.
In 2017, Russia will supply gas to Crimea from the Caucasus, and by the end of 2017, Russia plans to complete construction of a thermal power station that will provide an additional 470 megawatts.
By 2018, Russia plans to add two more units and another 470 megawatts.
Photo courtesy: Kremlin
