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Kiev
turns off hot water amid fears of winter gas shortage
Following the annoucement of the shutdown, consumers reportedly rushed out to buy electric-powered boilers for their energy needs.
RT,
8
August, 2014
Kiev
has turned off hot water throughout the city in an attempt to save
gas for the winter months. The Ukrainian government is unsure how
long people will be affected, or whether the measure will be enough
to ensure winter heating.
Utility
company Kievenergo cut gas supplies to all thermal power plants that
warm the water supplied to households, adding that it received the
order from the Ministry of Energy and Coal Mining. “All
the thermal power plants have had their gas supply cut as of August
4,” the
company said.
General
director Alexander Fomenko said the move was needed in order to save
gas for the cold winter ahead.
Kiev
has about 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas for heating, Itar-Tass
reported. Head of utilities in Kiev, Dmitri Novitsky, noted that it
is not enough to regularly supply gas during winter months. “If
we don’t start saving gas now, then we will have big problems in
winter,” Novitsky
said.
Kiev’s
mayor Vitaly Klitschko said on Monday that all hot water provided by
municipal boilers to Soviet-built apartment buildings will be turned
off until at least October. “We
are obliged to renounce hot water in order to save gas supplies for
the winter. We hope for the understanding of Kievans,” said
Klitschko.
Hot
water is usually turned off in all older apartment buildings for pipe
cleaning during the summer months. But this shutdown is estimated to
last well into the fall and there are no guarantees that it will be
enough to ensure a stable gas supply during the winter months.
Other
cities across Ukraine plan to follow in Kiev’s footsteps.
Those
most affected by the shutdown will be millions of lower class
families living in Soviet-built apartments that solely depend on a
centralized energy supply.
Local
media reported that 60 percent of Kiev is already without hot water
and cautioned that the shutdown may translate into deep discontent
for Kiev citizens.
Following
the annoucement of the shutdown, consumers reportedly rushed out to
buy electric-powered boilers for their energy needs.
The
Kiev city administration is reportedly considering three future
possibilities: a complete shutdown, supplying hot water at lower
temperature, or switching to a scheduled hot water supply.
However,
the administration is already seeing signs that the saving efforts
may not be enough to ensure proper heating in the winter months,
according to local media.
Meanwhile,
utility prices have surged in Ukraine in the last three months, in
light of the gas shortage. The cost of gas rose 40 percent.
Other
measures being considered include starting school early in August in
order to shorten the study period during the winter months. Another
option being looked at is making Saturday a school day and using the
extra days to prolong the winter break.
Thus
far, Ukraine has enough gas to last only until December.
Concerns
about a gas shortage became pressing when Russia stopped supplying
gas to Ukraine after the latter refused to pay its gas debt. Ukraine
was then put on a prepayment plan. The move followed Moscow's
decision to raise the price of gas.
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