HEP SPENDS $8 MIL IN RECONSTRUCTING DANUBE REGION POWER SYSTEM

( Editorial: --> 9249 ) VUKOVAR, July 22 (Hina) - About US$8 million has been invested into the reconstruction of the Danube River region's power supply system since it was reintegrated back into the Croatian Electric Utility Co. (HEP) a year ago, HEP officials said on Wednesday. The power supply has been maintained at a satisfactory level for the whole time. Reconstruction is still in progress and Vukovar will be a priority for HEP's reconstruction programmes, HEP representatives said. Since July 22, 1997, when HEP general director Damir Begovic and United Nations representatives signed an agreement on reintegration, 25 new transformer stations as well as about 100km of various electrical networks have been built, and the town of Ilok was included in the HEP system through a transmission line. This autumn, the electric network in four Danube region villages and parts of Vukovar where reconstruction is in progress will be reconstructed, HEP representatives said at the press conference held in Vukovar. During the last few weeks, HEP has begun disconnecting defaulters in the Danube region. The outstanding electricity debts are much greater in this region than in other parts of Croatia, the HEP representatives said. Households in the region owe more than US$2 million to HEP and companies owe about US$2.3 million. HEP denies claims made by international community representatives that the defaulters are mostly welfare cases. There are welfare services which are in charge of such cases, but here we have defaulters who spend up to five times more power than the average and therefore can hardly classify as welfare cases, said Vladimir Vulic, HEP's sales and public relations service chief in Vinkovci. HEP officials thanked the European Union which gave about DM1 million in aid to the power supply system in Danube Region this year. (Hina) is jn /mbr 221755 MET jul 98