MORE ACUTE ENERGY CRISIS PREDICTED FOR 2002 IN PRIMORYE








VLADIVOSTOK, March 5. /From RIA Novosti correspondent Larisa Beloivan/ -- The Russian Dalenergo joint stock company which is in charge of power supplies to the Russian Far East has warned that a more acute energy crisis as compared to this year's is expected in the next heating season. It has made an official statement which says in part that this crisis will be inevitable if the tariffs for electric energy are not raised as calculated by the Dalenergo company. According to power industry staffers, it is the Regional Energy Commission (REC) that is responsible for the aggravation of the situation in the Primorye's heating and energy sector.


	It is known that the REC has rejected the demand of the Dalenergo to raise electric energy tariffs and passed a decision not to raise them at least until this coming May. "Having ignored power industry workers' objective costs, the REC guarantees a new, and perhaps more acute, energy crisis in the winter of 2002", says the press-release of the joint-stock company Dalenergo.


	Serious interruptions in electric energy supplies took place during this heating season. The cities, towns and settlements in Primorye were switched off from electricity for 12-14 hours daily.