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CEO of Russian electricity company repeats warning to Belarus

Belarus has until the close of the business day on June 27 to pay another installment of its debt to Inter RAO for this year’s electricity deliveries, Boris Kovalchuk, chief executive of the Russian company, told reporters on Friday, according to RIA Novosti.

“If no money arrives until the end of Monday, we reiterate that we are ready to halt electricity deliveries to Belarus,” said Mr. Kovalchuk.

Speaking in St. Petersburg the previous day, Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich said that Belarus would repay in full its debt to Inter RAO until June 28.

“This week the energy ministers held consultations at which they agreed that all payments due would be made until next Tuesday,” Mr. Myasnikovich said, according to RIA Novosti. “I think there are no objective grounds for worrying that the agreement would not be implemented.”
On June 21, Inter RAO warned that it would halt electricity exports to Belarus on June 27 for its failure to pay funds owed for this year`s deliveries.

The suspension will be in line with the Russian supplier`s contract and supplementary agreements with Belarus` national power utility DVA Belenerha, said an Inter RAO spokesperson. "A trading company cannot supply electricity on credit."

On June 9, Inter RAO cut in half electricity exports to Belarus because of its failure to pay $54 million in outstanding bills for deliveries in March and April.

Following talks held the next day by Belenerha Director General Alyaksey Shyrma in Moscow, Inter RAO fully restored the export of electricity to Belarus on June 13.

Belenerha paid the first installment of the debt later that week.

Under a contract with Inter RAO, Belenerha is to buy from it three billion kilowatts of electricity this year. //BelaPAN