KIEV, Aug. 28 - Ukraine’s only producer of primary aluminum, ZALK, may suspend production as the company has been facing losses due to high cost of power, a top regional official said Tuesday.

Yevhen Chervonenko, the governor of the Zaporizhia region where ZALK is based, said he will appeal to the country’s top security body to force the government to lower the power prices.

The government has been for years selling power to ZALK at a discount due to the massive electricity consumption required by its outdated aluminum smelting technology.