Nikolai Shulginov: “In the past autumn-season period, the Russian energy system provided a sufficient reserve of generation and transmission capacity of networks”

Nikolai Shulginov at a meeting of the Government of the Russian Federation reported on the results of the autumn-winter period (AWP) and preparations for the next heating season.

The Minister noted that the autumn-winter period took place against the backdrop of an increase in energy consumption and loads on networks and power plants. At the same time, a sufficient reserve of generation and capacity of the electric grid complex was provided in the Russian energy system.

“The stability of the thermal generation was ensured, among other things, by creating the necessary fuel reserves and carrying out the necessary repairs. When entering winter, 13 million tons of coal and 2.3 million tons of fuel oil were accumulated at power facilities, underground gas storage facilities were filled,” he said.

In addition, the head of the Ministry of Energy touched upon the issue of coal supplies to power plants.

“In order to ensure the rhythm of supplies and accumulation of fuel for the next AWP, a solution was found with the largest coal companies to keep prices for coal products, including by signing long-term contracts directly with producers using recommended price levels, as well as organizing exchange trading. By June, such auctions will be organized for two grades of thermal coal,” he reported.

According to Nikolai Shulginov, for the upcoming heating season, all generating companies have entered into gas supply agreements with PJSC Gazprom and independent suppliers, and planned gas pumpimg into underground gas storage facilities has begun.

The Minister also mentioned technological violations in the Russian power system. “Emergency shutdown of power system elements, that is, generation facilities, high voltage electrical systems, has been decreasing for several years in a row. In the past autumn-winter period, this decrease amounted to 4% for generation facilities, and 8% for electric networks,” he said.

To prepare for the next heating season, energy companies are actively implementing measures to improve the reliability of energy supply to consumers.

The operation of foreign-made gas turbines with service maintenance problems, is under separate control. Work is also underway to replace imports of high-capacity gas turbines, Nikolai Shulginov noted.

“In order to organize the Russian localization of spare parts production and service maintenance, the issue of saving the resource of gas turbines in regions dependent on their availability has been worked out. At the same time, it is supposed to use a mechanism for reducing the time of their work within the framework of dispatching and market procedures. This mechanism is planned to be introduced for a period of up to two years, with a possible reduction in capacity payment for generation facilities to 10%,” the head of the Ministry of Energy added.

In some regions, preparations for the next AWP are complicated by fires, spring floods, and flooding of energy facilities.

“Difficulties that arise in the course of preparing for a period of high loads on the energy system, we will consider at meetings of the government commission, which we will hold in each federal district. We will sum up the readiness results in November at the All-Russian meeting,” the Minister concluded.