The end of the energy crisis in Abkhazia?
Within the week given by the president, the heads of the regions of Abkhazia have managed to reduce electricity consumption by turning off the crypto farms prohibited by law.
However, it is possible that after the adopted report, consumption will increase again.
Still, an Abkhaz official, if he is really intimidated by threats of resignation, while he might not be capable of flying into space, then at least he can diligently fulfilling his duties.
For three months the Abkhaz power industry was shouting SOS. The electricity generated by the Ingur hydroelectric power station (the only station that supplies Abkhazia) and so it was end-to-end. And then the government, having decided to legalize the mining of cryptocurrency, actually derailed the power system.
The popularity of mining in Abkhazia is stimulated by a virtually symbolic electricity price of 0.4 rubles [about 0.5 cents] per kilowatt / hour. And also the fact that collecting even such a small payment has been a problem in Abkhazia for many years – JAMnews].
In early December, the authorities, apparently realizing the scale of the disaster, again banned mining. But the cryptocurrency mining farms continued to operate as usual. From time to time, some of them were closed, observed by cameras and the equipment was sealed, but as soon as the inspection structures left with a sense of fulfilled duty, the farms again began to make noise.
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Law enforcement agencies officially complained about the inability to fine violators. And they unofficially scolded the power engineers themselves, who again connected the farms to the power system for a certain fee, and high-ranking officials, who are also part-time (well, not living on the same salary) large crypto farmers, whose enterprises are not subject to a ban by default.
Most likely, it was this unofficialism that actually existed, otherwise it would be difficult to explain the infantilism with which the authorities “fought” the energy crisis. In fact, it was pure profanation.
As a result, President Aslan Bzhania himself had to come into play. He gave regional leaders exactly one week to reduce electricity consumption by 21 percent – that is, to the level of January 2019, threatening them with dismissal.
Some local officials deciphered the president’s ultimatum in their own way.
They came up with a scheme according to which it is possible to fit into the parameters of electricity consumption approved by the president (indicators of 2019 + five percent) and at the same time keep not only their warm chairs, but also their native manning farms.
Taking into account the 5% discount the president made, it was actually necessary to reduce consumption by 16%. This can be done quickly and, for sure, only by rolling power outages, the local authorities decided. And the very next day the switch started working. In the districts, the lights were turned off for exactly four hours. And that’s almost 17 percent of the savings. That is, in one day they not only fit into the norm, but even exceeded the plan.
But the president tracked the officials’ maneuver in time and explained that he would not accept work with rolling blackouts.
In general, the comrades had to really, and not according to paper reports, turn off the farms and, accordingly, just like that, by the appointed hour X, fit into the norm.
However, knowing the habits of our native bureaucratic machine, I don’t recommend ordinary citizens to calm down.
In various kinds of combat sports, where athletes compete in separate weight categories, the regulations provide for a special procedure for weighing the athlete.
This is a very important event, because if an athlete does not fit even one hundred grams into the declared weight, he simply will not be allowed to compete. The weighing procedure usually takes place the day before the start of the tournament, and many athletes begin to lose weight within a week: they go on a rigid diet, significantly reduce their fluid intake, etc.
It is a very painful process, some even faint while losing weight.
But when you officially fit into the weight, then in the future you don’t have to worry about your parameters. Even if you gain 10 kilograms by the end of the tournament, no one will punish you for it.
So, the task of President Aslan Bzhania is that after receiving the acts of the work done from the officials, they would not again catch up with the “weight”.
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