30 years since the creation of the CIS Electric Power Council

February 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the creation of the CIS Electric Power Council.

The Council was established in accordance with the Agreement on the Coordination of Interstate Relations in the Field of the Electric Power Industry of the Commonwealth of Independent States dated February 14, 1992 and is the body of sectoral cooperation of the CIS in the field of electric power industry.

The purpose of the CIS Electric Power Council is to conduct joint and coordinated actions of the Commonwealth member states in the field of electric power industry aimed at ensuring sustainable and reliable power supply to the economy and population of the CIS member states based on the effective functioning of the interconnection of electric power systems.

The CIS Electric Power Council includes the heads of the electric power governmental agencies of the CIS member states and national energy companies. In 2021, N.G. Shulginov, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, was elected President of the CIS Electric Power Council, Ch.Kh. Purchekov, Minister of Energy of Turkmenistan, was elected Vice President.

The key areas of the Council's work are ensuring the functioning of the parallel operation of the electric power systems of the CIS member states, improving the economic, technological and legal conditions for interconnecting energy systems. At present, 8 out of 11 national power systems of the Commonwealth states carry out synchronous parallel operation. In addition, the unification of the CIS energy systems operates in parallel with the energy systems of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and electricity is exchanged with other foreign countries.

Parallel operation makes it possible to increase the efficiency of operating modes of generating capacities and distribution networks and ensure the collective energy security of the Commonwealth.

Within the framework of the Council, proposals are being developed on the principles and directions for the integration of the CIS member states in the field of electric power industry.

The CIS Electric Power Council coordinates activities in the following strategic areas of cooperation:

• formation of a common electric power market of the CIS member states;

• delimitation of balance sheet ownership and maintenance of interstate transmission lines of national electric power systems;

• updating and harmonization of the regulatory and technical framework for regulating the electric power industry within the CIS;

• energy efficiency and energy saving;

• development of renewable energy;

• organization of a unified metrological space;

• assistance in organizing assistance in case of accidents, natural disasters and other emergencies in the electric power industry;

• advanced training of specialists in the energy industry.

In addition to the basic Treaty on ensuring the parallel operation of the electric power systems of the CIS member states dated November 25, 1998, on the initiative and with the participation of the CIS Electric Power Council, a number of intergovernmental concepts, agreements, plans and decisions aimed at deepening cooperative ties in the energy sector in the CIS region, including:

Agreement on the Transit of Electricity and Capacity of the CIS Member States dated January 25, 2000. This Agreement develops the provisions of the Agreement on ensuring the parallel operation of the electric power systems of the CIS member states dated November 25, 1998 and allows using the technical and economic advantages of the parallel operation of the electric power systems of the member states of the Agreement;

Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Cases of Accidents and Other Emergencies at Electric Power Facilities of the CIS Member States dated May 30, 2002. This Agreement governs the procedure for rendering mutual assistance between the competent authorities of the States Parties to the Agreement on rescue, restoration and other urgent work carried out in the event of an immediate threat or in the event of accidents and other emergencies at electric power facilities;

The concept of developing a common electric power market of the CIS member states dated November 25, 2005. The concept is aimed at creating a single market space in the electric power industry based on the parallel operating electric power systems of the CIS member states. For the successful formation of the common energy market of the CIS, the participating states seek to harmonize national legislation, legal and economic conditions for the functioning of economic entities, create a system of state support for priority areas of interstate cooperation;

The concept of cooperation between the CIS member states in the energy sector of November 20, 2009. The concept is a set of agreed views and approaches of the CIS member states to cooperation in the energy sector and defines the goals, main tasks, principles, mechanisms and main directions of cooperation of the CIS member states in this area;

The concept of cooperation between the CIS member states in the field of the use of renewable energy sources dated November 20, 2013. The concept is aimed at expanding interstate cooperation in the field of renewable energy sources and further development of their application. Renewable energy sources - energy sources that are continuously renewable due to naturally occurring natural processes: solar radiation energy, wind energy, hydrodynamic energy of water; geothermal energy: heat from soil, groundwater, rivers, reservoirs, as well as anthropogenic sources of primary energy resources: biomass, biogas and other fuel from organic waste.

Council meetings are held regularly, twice a year, where representatives of energy departments and companies can discuss topical issues, exchange experiences and conduct a multilateral dialogue on the development of industry cooperation.

At the meeting of the Council, held on December 28, 2021 via videoconference, a joint statement was adopted aimed at facilitating the implementation of the global climate agenda. The parties agreed on the need to identify priority tasks and areas of cooperation aimed at implementing the global climate agenda.

The focus of the Council meeting was on ways to achieve carbon neutrality in the energy sector and the prospects for cooperation between the CIS countries on decarbonization and management of greenhouse gas emissions in the power industry.

At the meeting, Taras Vyacheslavovich Kupchikov was elected Chairman of the Executive Committee of the CIS Electric Power Council.

The Executive Committee of the CIS Electric Power Council is a permanent interstate coordinating body that develops proposals for coordinating the functioning, development and formation of principles for the operation of state energy systems.

Under the CIS Electric Power Council, the Coordinating Council for the implementation of the Strategy for Interaction and Cooperation of the CIS Member States in the field of electric power industry has also been established, which is a permanent working body.

Currently, the Chairman of the Coordinating Council is Snikkars Pavel Nikolaevich, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation.

The main tasks of the Coordinating Council are:

• monitoring and analysis of the main directions of development of the electric power industry of the CIS member states, taking into account the long-term perspective and preparation of proposals for their coordination;
• analysis of the investment policy of the CIS member states on electric power facilities of interstate importance, and the development of recommendations on its basis for its harmonization.

At the 32nd meeting of the Coordinating Council, held on September 29, 2020 in the format of a videoconference, the draft Strategy for Cooperation of the CIS Member States in the Electricity Industry until 2030 was approved.

The CIS Electricity Council cooperates with international organizations such as the Eurasian Economic Commission, the European Union of the Electricity Industry, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe; European Energy Charter; Eurasian Development Bank, World Energy Council, International Renewable Energy Agency, Global Network for 21st Century Energy Policy, International Council on Large High Voltage Electricity Systems, Organization for Development and Cooperation on Global Energy Interconnection, APEC Expert Group on Energy Efficiency and etc.

Over the years of the Council's work, more than 200 regulations, model rules, instructions, procedures, methodological recommendations and other regulatory documents have been prepared that regulate the operation of power equipment, personnel and joint activities to organize uninterrupted power supply to industrial consumers and the population. The efforts of the CIS Electric Power Council contribute to the preservation of the technological unity of energy systems, a common information space, ensuring the coordinated development of the energy infrastructure of the CIS member states.

The 30-year practical activity of the CIS Electric Power Council has made a significant contribution to the development of the energy industry and continues to contribute to the comprehensive deepening of socio-economic ties in the Commonwealth of Independent States.