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Power cuts are unlikely in Primorye this winter if an administrative plan of cooperation holds up, said a high-ranking federal energy official on a visit to Vladivostok Oct. 2.

Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy Sergei Kirienko spent four days touring Primorye, where he inspected coal mines, observed large power stations and attended an energy workers' shareholders' meeting. He said that mines are producing more than enough coal for the coming winter, enough to enable power stations to run at 100 percent capacity.

However, both the krai and city are huge debtors to power producers, preventing power stations from buying enough coal to run at more than 20-30 percent of capacity, said Kirienko. This makes operations expensive and results in an energy shortage for consumers and wage arrears for coal miners and energy workers.

Kirienko said a recent agreement between Gov. Yevgeny Nazdratenko and Vladivostok Mayor Victor Cherepkov clarifies how much the krai and city should pay power stations for their energy. This should allow the power producers to buy as much coal as they need. To raise the needed funds, Nazdratenko and Cherepkov have agreed to issue bonds for billions of rubles (salaries alone for energy workers across Primorye amount to $17.2 million per month.).

Additionally, President's Representative and Head of the Primorye FSB Victor Kondratov just returned from Moscow, where he convinced officials to transfer 45 billion rubles ($7.8 million) per month to offset operations costs.

But Kirienko cautioned that is unclear the money will end up where it is supposed to go.

There is also a plan to make Primorye's monopoly energy supplier Dalenergo an independent owner of the krai's power lines, and to empower each city to buy power from the cheapest supplier. This would encourage competition and efficiency and slowly bring down the end-cost of energy to the consumer, Kirienko said.

There is an additional benefit to running power stations at full capacity: A huge surplus will result, "a crisis in energy supply," according to Kirienko, which will allow stations to sell electricity to energy-hungry China.Kirienko did not discuss how or when energy workers -- who are striking throughout the krai in various numbers -- will be paid. And in a response to a reporter's question, he declined to comment on problems that might arise from the fact that two men are now claiming Vladivostok's mayoral office.