Serbia plunges into darkness as energy crisis worsens Source: Associated Press Publication date: 2000-12-25

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) -- In a season when much of the world is bedecked in festive lights, Yugoslavs are coping with a severe electricity shortage as the country struggles with its worst energy crisis in years.

The power company in Yugoslavia's main republic Serbia -- home to more than 90 percent of the country's 10 million people -- announced eight-hour blackouts Monday throughout the country because of ``the alarming state of production and supply systems.''

The company also warned that additional cuts may be necessary because of frequent outages at two key power plants

Officials cite several reasons for the energy shortage. A summer drought and an abnormally mild winter has lowered the levels of the Danube and Sava Rivers, cutting output in hydroelectric stations.

Yugoslavia and other countries of the Balkans are in a regional power grid, which allows them to import electricity from others in times of need. However, because of high demands elsewhere and Belgrade's severe economic problems, officials say imports can make up only about 20 percent of the shortfall.

The power grid was poorly maintained during the administration of ousted President Slobodan Milosevic, when the government was severely strapped for cash because of international sanctions imposed to force an end to the ethnic wars.

As a result, only about one- third of the necessary maintenance was conducted on the network this year, officials admit.

In addition, many power stations were damaged during last year's NATO bombing campaign, launched to force Milosevic to end his crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo.

Power cutbacks, at a time when temperatures hover around freezing, have caused resentment among a public eager for improvements in life after a popular uprising forced Milosevic to concede defeat to pro-democracy leader Vojislav Kostunica.

In Nis, Serbia's third-largest city, angry residents hurled stones Monday at the local power company offices, blocked streets, burned tires and set fire to garbage containers to protest power outages.

Nis police chief Jovan Milic said the protesters were demanding shorter outages, even if they were more frequent. He said police had not intervened, in part because they sympathized with the demand.

Meanwhile, about half of the capital, Belgrade, went without electricity for most of Monday. Power company workers tried to keep service uninterrupted to hospitals and other high priority customers.

The Associated Press News Service

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 26, 2000

Answers

12/26 09:42 Serbia Plunged Into 10 Hours a Day of Lightless Cold (Update1) By Jelena Radulovic

Belgrade, Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Most Serbians spent as much as 10 hours today with no power and minimal heat as the national electricity and heating utilities struggled with worn-out and inefficient equipment and inadequate Russian gas supplies.

With temperatures below freezing, Serbia's state-run power utility yesterday increased country-wide blackouts to at least eight hours a day after it was forced to stop poaching electricity from neighboring countries. Further cuts may be necessary because of frequent outages at two key power plants after OAO Gazprom, Russia's gas monopoly, reduced gas supplies to half the daily needs of the larger of Yugoslavia's two republics.

The cuts sparked rock-throwing protests in Nis, Serbia's third- largest city, while the local council in the western Serbian town of Cacak declared a state of emergency after some blackouts lasted 24 hours. With central heating supplies also cut, the energy crisis is the first major challenge for the new government of Prime Minister- elect Zoran Djindjic, whose 18-party bloc swept to victory in Saturday's elections.

``The alarming state of our production and supply systems'' is forcing us to make these cuts, said Dragan Batalo, assistant general manager at state-run power company EPS. ``It is even possible that consumers will be without power for an unplanned and unlimited time.''

The energy crisis also hit Montenegro, Serbia's smaller partner in the Yugoslav federation, with three-hour blackouts introduced yesterday, Beta news agency reported.

Djindjic's coalition, which earlier backed new President Vojislav Kostunica when he ousted Slobodan Milosevic in October, has pledged to rebuild an economy shattered by a decade of wars and international isolation during the former Yugoslav president's 13-year reign.

Half Belgrade Powerless

About half of Belgrade was without electricity for most of Monday, a normal working day in Serbia as the country celebrates Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7. EPS said it had extended the power cuts to 75 percent of consumers throughout Serbia, rotating electricity supplies so that each quarter of the population receive power supplies for some part of the day.

``Although the cuts are drastic, they make sense and are the only way to stabilize the system,'' Batalo said on Belgrade radio B92. He called for Serbians to be ``understanding and patient.''

That call fell on deaf ears in Nis, Serbia's third-largest city, where protesters yesterday hurled stones at the local power company's offices. Residents in a different Nis suburb blocked streets, burned tires and set fire to garbage containers as they protested against the power outages.

The Cacak council decided to form a ``crisis committee'' to manage the situation, instructing all companies, schools and kindergartens to stop working. Only the town's hospital, water plant, bakery and dairy will be supplied with electricity, the Beta agency reported.

EPS is rationing power, splitting non-essential power consumers into four groups -- according to usage levels -- and supplying electricity to one group at a time. The cuts left most households with only six hours of electricity per day. It is common for one side of a Belgrade street to be without power while the other side is receiving electricity supplies.

Neglect Under Milosevic

Serbia's power industry was poorly maintained during Milosevic's rule, when the government lacked funds because of international sanctions imposed against the country for its role in fomenting a series of Balkan wars following the breakup of the old Yugoslavia.

Power stations were targeted during last year's North Atlantic Treaty Organization bombing campaign, which helped force Milosevic to end a crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo.

Neighbors Protested

The latest power cuts came after neighboring states demanded EPS stop skimming electricity from their power grids. They also told the Serbian utility it must cease drawing excess water for hydro-electric power plants from the River Danube, breaching the country's allocation under an agreement on using the region's main river, EPS officials said.

``As of today we must stop unauthorized borrowing of electricity from our neighbors to cover our needs and resolve our own problems,'' Serbian Energy Minister Srboljub Antic said at a press conference yesterday.

Serbia is now 40 million kilowatt hours short of its daily needs, with consumption reaching 150 million kWh, he said.

``Serbia faces major difficulties with its energy supplies this winter, but the next few days will be critical because of expected low temperatures,'' Antic said.

In addition to the electricity cuts, many heating plants decreased production due to inadequate gas deliveries from Russia.

Serbia asked Russia earlier this month to sign a new agreement to ensure the former Yugoslav republic received sufficient gas supplies. Gazprom last month cut Serbia's gas supplies by a third over unpaid bills.

New Yugoslav President Kostunica's administration has blamed the dispute on Milosevic, saying it is still working to unravel debts amassed by monopoly Serbian gas distributor NIS- Progresgastrade under his 13-year rule, which ended in October.

Russia held off on signing a new pact as Gazprom wanted assurances it would be paid on time for fresh gas deliveries.

Serbia hopes to sign a new agreement with Russia in early January, Antic said yesterday.

Power monopoly EPS said it hopes to improve power supplies from tomorrow.

http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?ptitle=Top%20World% 20News&s1=blk&tp=ad_topright_topworld&T=markets_bfgcgi_content99.ht&s2 =blk&bt=ad_position1_windex&middle=ad_frame2_windex&s=AOkiuPhTbU2VyYml h

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 26, 2000.

Newsday

Energy Crisis Hits Yugoslavia

by MISHA SAVIC Associated Press Writer

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) -- With traffic lights failing, frozen foods thawing in grocery stores and people struggling to keep warm, Yugoslavia's worst-ever energy crisis is prompting many people to question whether the new democratic leadership can't at least keep the lights on.

Officials of the new government appealed Wednesday for people to be patient with eight- to 10-hour blackouts -- common in neighboring Albania or the province of Kosovo, but previously unheard of in Yugoslavia's main republic of Serbia.

At a clinic for paraplegics on Mount Gucevo in western Serbia, nurses piled up blankets trying to keep their 70 patients warm, the independent Beta news agency reported. Only one of four water boilers was working, chief nurse Vida Ivanovic said.

By evening, dozens of angry Belgrade residents overturned garbage containers across tram lines, blocking a main road opposite the well-lit Hyatt hotel. The crowd then stood in silent protest.

Some Yugoslavs grumbled that things were better under autocratic President Slobodan Milosevic, who was ousted following a contested election in September and riots in Belgrade on Oct. 5.

''I knew that we couldn't expect a fast improvement after Oct. 5,'' said Milovan Radisic, 57, a retired factory worker. ''But I didn't expect things would get worse.''

Long queues formed Wednesday in front of supermarkets and department stores in the capital. Harried cashiers were scrambling to tally customers' bills by hand with only the dim light of candles. A crowd in the southern city of Nis burned tires in protest.

The interior ministry appealed Wednesday for motorists to take extra care because many traffic lights were not working. Extra policemen were called out to keep order on streets where traffic signals had failed.

''You wanted 'democracy,' now you got it,'' Dragoljub Matic, a self-described Milosevic supporter, grumbled as he waited at a crowded bus stop.

Serbia's deputy prime minister, Nebojsa Covic, tried to cast blame on the Milosevic's regime, which was in power for 13 years.

Covic told Belgrade radio and television stations that the Milosevic government had failed to maintain the power grid and keep up repairs on power stations. That was due in large part to the effects of years of international economic sanctions imposed on Yugoslavia because of Belgrade's role in fomenting ethnic wars in the Balkans.

Those sanctions made it difficult for the government to purchase spare parts and equipment from abroad.

''A stable energy situation cannot be expected before spring,'' Covic admitted. ''The whole system is extremely worn out.''

Yugoslavia's power system also was damaged during last year's 78-day NATO bombing campaign, launched to stop Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo.

To make matters worse, a drought in the Balkans that began this summer has reduced water levels in the Danube, the Sava and other major rivers, severely limiting hydroelectric output.

Yugoslavia and other Balkan countries are tied together in a regional power grid, which allows them to import electricity in times of need. However, because of high demand elsewhere and Belgrade's economic problems, officials say imports make up only about 20 percent of the shortfall.

The West has welcomed pro-democracy changes and promised humanitarian aid for energy purchases, but such assistance takes time to materialize.

Nada Kolundzija, a top official of the 18-party alliance that won the presidency and recent parliamentary elections, claimed Milosevic's government had forced the state-run power company to ''exhaust the power system to the extent that it is now near collapse.''

But many angry Serbs want solutions, not more scapegoats.

''I've heard enough of that. ... Milosevic also used to blame others for everything,'' said Tamara Blazic, fuming because a blackout left her stranded in an elevator for three hours. ''It's time somebody takes responsibility.''

AP-NY-12-27-00 1641EST< 

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), December 28, 2000.