BBC
 Many
households have only six hours of power a day
Much of Serbia
was plunged into darkness and cold on Tuesday after the state
power company EPS introduced electricity rationing to cope with
severe supply difficulties.
The cuts left most households with only six hours of electricity
per day. In addition to the power cuts, many heating plants reduced
production due to insufficient gas deliveries from Russia.
An EPS spokesman
called for "understanding and patience".
The power company had received warnings from Bosnia, Romania and
Greece to stop skimming electricity from their grids, and reduce
the amount of water being taken for hydro-electric power.
High consumption
Electricity
consumption is particularly high in Serbia as many houses have
electric heating systems.
Recent cold
weather, plus low water levels in rivers caused by summer droughts
have also created problems for hydro-electric stations.
"Although
the cuts are drastic, they make sense and are the only way to
stabilise the system," said EPS official Dragan Batalo.
Authorities
in Cacak in central Serbia introduced a state of emergency after
a major relay station broke down, leaving about 80,000 people
in darkness for more than 24 hours.
Protestors
blocked a road in the southern city of Nis to complain about the
blackouts, amid warnings that some kindergartens will be forced
to close. Shops and cafes throughout Serbia have been told to
shut early.
Poor maintenance
Serbia's power
grid is poorly maintained due to financial hardships following
the imposition of international sanctions during the administration
of former President Slobodan Milosevic.
 Many
power stations were damaged by Nato airstrikes
In addition, many power stations were damaged by Nato airstrikes
during the bombing campaign to force Mr Milosevic to end his crackdown
on ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo.
Officials
admit that only about a third of the necessary maintenance was
conducted on the network this year.
Three-hour
power cuts were also introduced in neighbouring Montenegro on
Monday following supply problems in Albania, Greece, and Macedonia.
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