Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a ceremony to launch the two power plants in Crimea, Sevastopol, March 18, 2019. (SPUTNIK PHOTO)

MOSCOW, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday gave a symbolic order for two new thermal power plants in Crimea to start working at full capacity, according to the footage broadcast by the Russia 24 TV channel.

"Today, total energy consumption in Crimea is about 1,000-1,100 MW. With the new facilities, total energy resource of Crimea and Sevastopol will be about 2,070 MW," Putin said at the launching ceremony of the new power plants in the largest Crimean city of Sevastopol.

He added that these volumes will be sufficient to cover the needs of the peninsula while a portion of it could be exported to neighboring regions.

The first power units of the Balaklava power plant located in Sevastopol and the Tavria power plant in Crimea's capital Simferopol were put into operation in October 2018.

In 2017, Germany's Siemens company said it had previously sold gas turbines for use in other parts of Russia, but have since been transferred to Crimea, which was incorporated into Russia in 2014 following a referendum.

The European Union, which did not recognize the incorporation of Crimea, slapped a set of sanctions against Moscow, including a ban of supplying key equipment to infrastructure projects in Crimea. It added three individuals and three companies to the sanctions list after the Siemens announcement.

Before the incorporation, Crimea, formerly part of Ukraine, depended on energy supplies from the Ukrainian mainland.