Bratislava  - Slovakia Thursday faced a blackout owing to Russia's move to shut down natural gas supplies arriving to western Europe via Ukraine, Prime Minister Robert Fico said.

Speaking after meeting his Czech, Hungarian and Polish counterparts and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Fico said that Slovakia was worst-hit in central Europe.

He said that the country had gas supplies for 10 days and was facing a blackout as part of its electricity came from gas.

Earlier Thursday Fico reiterated his intention to restart the Soviet-era Jaslovske Bohunice reactor if needed. Slovakia shut down the unit on December 31 in line with its European Union accession agreement.

Slovakia is fully dependent on Russian gas deliveries. The Slovak gas importer and distributor SPP tapped into its underground reserves to supply households, schools and hospitals.

Czech Vice-Premier for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra said that Poland was helping out Slovakia by trucking gas to the country's east.

On Wednesday, SPP asked thousands of industrial clients to limit gas consumption to a minimum.

The firms, however, did not comply and their "lack of discipline" threatened the country's distribution system with collapse owing to low pipe pressure, Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek said.

Some large manufacturers, including carmakers who fuel country's export-driven economy, halted or limited production. (dpa)