Water supply to thermal power plants | Kosovar Prime Minister denounces “attack” after canal explosion

(Pristina) An explosion on Friday damaged a vital canal for supplying water to two thermal power plants in Kosovo, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said, condemning a “terrorist attack” which he attributed to neighboring Serbia.

“This is a criminal and terrorist attack aimed at destroying our critical infrastructure,” the Prime Minister declared during a press conference called late Friday.

“The attack was carried out by professionals. We believe it comes from Serbian-led gangs,” he added.

The explosion of the canal, which supplies water to two coal-fired power plants for their cooling systems, representing Kosovo’s main source of electricity, occurred near the town of Zubin Potok in the north of the country.

If the damage is not repaired, part of Kosovo risks being deprived of electricity as early as Saturday morning, the prime minister said.

He did not give details on the extent of the damage suffered by the canal, which connects northern Kosovo, with a Serb majority, to the capital Pristina, also partially supplied with drinking water by this canal.

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have persisted since the war between Serbian forces and Kosovars in the late 1990s.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move that Serbia refuses to recognize, encouraging Serbs to reject their loyalty to Pristina.