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Prishtinë, Feb 24, 2006 – The power supply situation in Kosovo improved on Feb. 24 with blocks 1 and 5 of the Kosovo A thermal power plant coming online, after the Kosovo B power plant went offline in the evening of Feb. 23, because of a flood that affected the coal mine near Obilic.
The commercial director of the Kosovo Energy Corporation, Palok Berisha, told KosovaLive that the two blocks of the Kosovo A plant were producing 150 megawatts of electricity, the Gazivoda hydro-plant around 30, while more than 350 megawatts were being imported in order for consumers to be supplied with electricity on Feb. 24 with no major problems.
Teams of experts are working on activating one block of the Kosovo B plant, which would reduce the need for imports and secure a much better supply of electricity in the province.
Berisha said the water has fully receded from the Mirash surface coal mine and that the conveyor belts and other equipment were being inspected and cleaned, in order for digging and transporting of lignite to the Kosovo B power plant to be restarted as soon as possible.
Due to the breaking of the levee on the Sitnica River near the thermal power plant complex, the Mirash surface coal mine and a part of the Kosovo B power plant were flooded on Feb. 23. Both blocks of the Kosovo B power plant, whose output is more than 500 megawatt-hours, were shut down late in the evening of Feb. 23.
ECIKS / KosovaLive