SKOPJE, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The North Macedonian government on Tuesday declared a nationwide electricity supply crisis, citing difficulties in procuring heavy fuel oil needed for the country's power generation system.
The decision, adopted at the proposal of the Steering Committee for Coordination and Management of the Crisis Management System, will remain in force for seven days from the date it takes effect, the government said in a release.
Mandatory reserves of oil derivatives will be released free of charge, and power plants will be required to report their heavy fuel oil consumption to the government and the Ministry of Finance, said the release. ■