Contracts between Ukrinterenergo and Inter RAO signed without due discussion and agreement, says expert
Kyiv, January 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Contracts on importing electricity from Russia and supplying it to Crimea, signed by Ukrinterenergo and Russia's Inter RAO, were signed without due discussion and agreement, former energy minister of Ukraine and head of the Ukrainian Energy Assembly Ivan Plachkov has said.
"Why has the [conflict] situation appeared? We say at each meeting that these are issues of state importance and they cannot be solved via closed-door deals – they appointed a certain new head of Ukrinterenergo [we don’t know him in energy circles, how he was appointed?], he went to Moscow on December 29 and signed. This is a closed-door deal," he said at a briefing at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.
Plachkov said that the agreements contain some big flaws. In particular, the price of electricity imported from Russia is not permanent, while the price of Ukrainian electricity supplied to Crimea has been fixed.
The former minister is perplexed as to why fines are foreseen only for Ukraine, and why the take and pay principle was used for Ukrinterenergo.
Plachkov said that the condition that electricity from Russia is supplied under the even daily schedule which is unprofitable for Ukraine, as this makes thermal power plans which consume G-graded coal have to unload at night
He also said that the decision to pay in Russian rubles is unreasonable.