UNMIK/PR/112
PRISTINA--UNMIK today announced the establishment of a Supervisory Board to oversee the management of the power sector and to facilitate coordination among UNMIK, international donors, the managers of the Kosovo power company KEK and Mott MacDonald, the company overseeing utilities rehabilitation.
Thanks to close co-operation between the international community and KEK, the emergency strategy for the power sector launched in mid-September has begun to yield results.One of the two units at Kosovo B was restarted as planned on 23 November and is generating about 240 MW.Reliability of the units at Kosovo A has been improved to the extent that at least two can operate at any given time, generating about 200 MW. Repairs and maintenance of the second of the two units at Kosovo B will be completed by mid-December, which will increase supply by roughly a further 240 MW.
Improvements in the power sector were made possible by the support of the international donor community, which has provided financing totalling more than DM120 million.The results that have been achieved are due to the combined efforts of KFOR, the Mott MacDonald management team, the Kosovar managers of KEK, and, above all, the workers at KEK, who have worked long hours, sometimes in extremely arduous conditions, to ensure that the sector operates as effectively as possible.
Under a contract financed by the European Union Task Force, Mott MacDonaldhas assumed temporary responsibility for ensuring that the power system continues to run with as little disruption as possible throughout the winter and for preparing the next phase of development in the power sector. Its work will be overseen by a Supervisory Board.
The Supervisory Board will be chaired by the Deputy Special Representative for Reconstruction, Recovery and Development, Joly Dixon.It will have up to six members, including representatives of the Civil Administration pillar of UNMIK, the Reconstruction Pillar of UNMIK, and the EC Task Force for Kosovo (TAFKO), as well as local experts.Members of the KEK management and the Mott MacDonald team will participate in meetings of the Supervisory Board as appropriate.
The Supervisory Board will monitor implementation of contracts, and review and approve reports by Mott MacDonald and the KEK management.The Supervisory Board will be assisted by an Advisory Working Group, chaired by the UNMIK Head of Donor Coordination, Joan Pearce, and comprise donors, the Mott MacDonald team and the KEK management. The Board will meet once a week, starting 14December.
