Serbs face blackout misery

Many households have only six hours of power a day

Much of Serbia was plunged into darkness and cold on Tuesday after the state power company EPS introduced electricity rationing to cope with severe supply difficulties.

The cuts left most households with only six hours of electricity per day. In addition to the power cuts, many heating plants reduced production due to insufficient gas deliveries from Russia.

An EPS spokesman called for "understanding and patience".

The power company had received warnings from Bosnia, Romania and Greece to stop skimming electricity from their grids, and reduce the amount of water being taken for hydro-electric power.

High consumption

Electricity consumption is particularly high in Serbia as many houses have electric heating systems.

Recent cold weather, plus low water levels in rivers caused by summer droughts have also created problems for hydro-electric stations.

"Although the cuts are drastic, they make sense and are the only way to stabilise the system," said EPS official Dragan Batalo.

Authorities in Cacak in central Serbia introduced a state of emergency after a major relay station broke down, leaving about 80,000 people in darkness for more than 24 hours.

Protestors blocked a road in the southern city of Nis to complain about the blackouts, amid warnings that some kindergartens will be forced to close. Shops and cafes throughout Serbia have been told to shut early.

Poor maintenance

Serbia's power grid is poorly maintained due to financial hardships following the imposition of international sanctions during the administration of former President Slobodan Milosevic.

Many power stations were damaged by Nato airstrikes

In addition, many power stations were damaged by Nato airstrikes during the bombing campaign to force Mr Milosevic to end his crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo.

Officials admit that only about a third of the necessary maintenance was conducted on the network this year.

Three-hour power cuts were also introduced in neighbouring Montenegro on Monday following supply problems in Albania, Greece, and Macedonia.