The Federation Council of the Russian Federation approved the law on the abolition of privileges for grid connection

The Federation Council of the Russian Federation approved the law amending Article 23.2 of the Federal Law "On the Electric Power Industry", which makes adjustments to the mechanism for determining fees for technological connection to electric networks (TC). The law was adopted by the State Duma on January 26, 2022.

Currently, the TP fee does not include the costs of grid companies for the construction of the power grid infrastructure. Part of the costs is compensated in the tariff for electricity transmission services, but there are shortfalls in income. In particular, according to PJSC Rosseti, for 2009-2020, shortfalls in income from activities related to the technological connection of power receiving devices with a capacity of up to 150 kW amounted to 190.4 billion rubles, of which 60.1 billion were not compensated. According to PJSC Rosseti, the volume of technological connection of the preferential category of applicants for TS annually is about 460 thousand applications with a total capacity of 7 GW, while the actual power consumption does not exceed 20% of the declared one.

The approved document provides that from July 1, 2022, the payment for the TC of power receivers with a maximum capacity of not more than 150 kW will include an investment component to cover the costs of building electric grid facilities - the so-called "last mile" - in the amount of 50% of the value of the specified expenses, and from January 1, 2023 - in full.

Also, from July 1, 2024, the Federal Law lifts the ban on the inclusion of power receiving devices with a maximum capacity of more than 150 kW in the payment for TC as an investment component to cover the costs associated with the development of existing infrastructure.

The powers of the Government of the Russian Federation include the establishment of features for determining the size and application of fees for TC of power receiving devices with a maximum capacity of not more than 150 kW in the third category of reliability.

It also establishes the right of the regions to reduce the amount of the investment component included in the payment for technological connection to cover the costs of construction of electric grid facilities, provided that the grid organization compensates for lost income at the expense of the budget of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation.