«If consumers do not comply with the rules prescribed in the technical conditions and do not turn off the heating during maximum load hours, we will be forced to carry out regulatory measures to avoid leaving all Bishkek without electricity,» Energy Minister of Kyrgyzstan Taalaibek Ibrayev said at a press conference.
According to him, three-phase households have permission for electric heating. When it was connected, the technical conditions were prescribed. They say you can’t turn on electric heating during the maximum load hours in the morning and evening.
«If our consumer does not fulfill what is prescribed in the technical conditions, the transformer will be burned. Do you know how much it costs? $1.5 billion. That’s why we impose restrictions. Those who have technical conditions for electric heating must turn it off during maximum load hour. If they don’t, we’ll introduce regulatory measures. When we see that there is an increase in power, we will disconnect the feeder and switch to another one. We will do unloading, we must do it, because everyone is responsible for this transformer,» Taalaibek Ibraev said.
«During maximum load hours we will introduce regulatory measures for an hour, one and a half, two hours. Maybe. We are all financially responsible persons. If we burn down this transformer, then tomorrow the prosecutor’s office will jail us. The house won’t cool down in an hour and a half; it won’t get cold. When we pass the maximum load hour, the consumers will then receive their electricity,» he concluded.
Regulatory measures mean turning off the electricity. This used to be called rolling blackouts.
