The cement plant in Rybnitsa was closed because of the energy crisis. Of the 650 employees, half will receive two-thirds of their salary as long as they stay at home. The others remained at the plant to clean the equipment and carry out repair works where needed, until gas supplies to the Transnistrian region are resumed, IPN reports, with reference to Novosti PMR.
"All the workers live with the hope that the gas will return," said Yevgeny Bodnar, an employee responsible for transporting the clinker. The specialist now deals with cleaning the gas burner of the cement kiln. "We will install a new nozzle and will make all the preparations, so that, when there is gas again, the plant can operations," added the specialist.
Works are being executed in sections that require little energy. The workers are completing the repairs started earlier, including at the drying oven. At the same time, the plant’s dust filtration system is being modernized according to the ecological project, noted the quoted source.
"The plant had a plan to produce about 30,000 tonnes of cement during this period," said interim director Oksana Baka. "This stock would have ensured our protection on the market, but now the situation is critical because our supplies are insufficient. For December, we will make contributions to the local budget, but in February, if we do not have gas, they will be much lower," added Baka.
On January 1, Gazprom stopped supplying gas to the Transnistrian region, after gas transit through Ukraine ended, invoking debts. In such circumstances, the Transnistrian administration decreed a state of emergency that was extended until February 8.
