15 November 2008, 16:59
Georgia: restart of gas supply to Tskhinvali is impossible
Until now, Georgia has not renewed deliveries of Russian gas to South Ossetia, stopped with the start of warfare. Georgian oil and gas companies assert that gas supply to Tskhinvali was stopped because the main pipeline was damaged by warfare this August.
"The branch of the main Georgia's gas line used for sending gas to Tskhinvali was damaged during military actions this August, therefore its operation was suspended," the companies report.
According to their information, "supply restoration is technically impossible until the condition of the line is examined and safety rules of gas supply in this direction ensured," the ITAR-TASS reports.
President of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity has promised his citizens that the republic will normally go through this winter, despite the Georgia's refusal to transit Russian gas to South Ossetia across its territory. However so far, the Republic's authorities cannot tell, whether the central heating system will work this winter even in prime-importance objects, such as kindergartens, schools and hospitals.
From the start of the warfare, South-Ossetian residents and state enterprises are using liquefied gas delivered from Russia.
