UPDATE: Russia stops power exports to China on failure of lines

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MOSCOW, Aug 1 (PRIME) -- Russia has suspended power exports to China due to a malfunction of power transmission lines in the Far East, a spokesperson for power holding Inter RAO told PRIME on Tuesday.

“(Power exports) were suspended completely…We hope that our colleagues will restore operation very soon,” the spokesperson said.

The Energy Ministry said exports to China were suspended in the amount of around 477 megawatts (MW).

Earlier on Tuesday, the Energy Ministry said in a statement that five 500-kilovolt power transmission lines shut down in the Khabarovsk Region, including the Amurskaya–Heihe export line. All power lines operate as part of MES Vostoka, an affiliate of Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System (FGC UES).

The ministry said the accident in power grids led to a shutdown of power units at the Zeiskaya and Bureiskaya hydropower plants and a complete shutdown of the Blagoveshchenskaya thermal power plant.

The power capacity of disconnected consumers totaled 1,250 MW.

The Emergency Ministry said power cuts affected almost all regions of the Far East, excluding the Kamchatka and Magadan regions.

Railroad traffic on the section between the Transbaikal area and Khabarovsk was suspended due to the accident in power grids.

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