Kosovo Limits Electricity Distribution Due To High Import Costs

Kosovo's electricity distribution company KEDS says it will limit the power supply to customers from August 15 due to flagging local production and the high cost of importing electricity from abroad.

KEDS said in a statement that it was informed by the national grid operator KOSTT that the cuts are necessary because it will have to rely solely on domestic production for supplies.

"[We] no longer have the financial means to get energy outside of that which is produced by local generators. This situation has arisen due to high prices on international markets and the inability to cover these costs through our system," it said.

KEDS noted that under the system, consumers will receive electricity for six hours, then supplies will be cut for two hours.

Kosovo's 1.8 million inhabitants rely mainly on two aging coal-fired power plants for domestic electricity production. Some of the output has been limited due to scheduled summer maintenance at the plants.

European electricity prices reached record highs in the first week of August as a prolonged heat wave across the continent disrupted power markets that were already under strain from Russia’s cuts to the continent’s gas supplies amid its war with Ukraine.

By RFE/RL

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