The debt of regional communal facilities to SverdlovEnergoSbyt, the local supplier, has come to 350,658,000 RUR in the seven months of 2006, that is, it has grown by 68%, reports the spokesperson for the company.

The management of SverdlovEnergoSbyt started getting ready for the winter of 2006/2007 as early as at the end of the previous heating season. It held a number of meetings with the heads of most troublesome communal facilities in the summer, signed agreements on the debt-paying schemes, and received letters of guarantee in terms of paying off the debts. Ermak, the communal service of Turinskiy district that owes the supplier 2.035m RUR has paid the company 1m RUR as their first installment within the debt-paying scheme.

A number of organizations, however, still are in great debt. Teplovodosnabzheniye of Ivdel and the communal service of Novaya Zarya owe the supplier over 9m RUR and 4m RUR, respectively.