Sanctions short-circuit Russia's electricity plans for annexed Crimea

A general view shows a power plant under construction on the suburbs of Sevastopol, Crimea, February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Anton Zverev

MOSCOW/SEVASTOPOL, Crimea(Reuters) - Russia's $1.3 billion (£1.01 billion) plan to build two new power plants in Crimea aimed to show that Moscow could complete high-tech projects on the annexed peninsula despite Western technology sanctions.

But two years after its approval, the plan, which would supply Crimea's residents with power they once got from Ukraine, has been knocked off course by an obstacle thrown up by the same sanctions, four sources familiar with the plans told Reuters.