Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Yuri Trutnev held a meeting on the prospective development of electric power in the Far Eastern Federal District. On the left is Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, on the right is Minister for the Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexei Chekunkov
Yuri Trutnev held a meeting on issues of prospective development of electric power industry in the Far Eastern Federal District
Yuri Trutnev held a meeting on issues of prospective development of electric power industry in the Far Eastern Federal District
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Yuri Trutnev held a meeting on the prospective development of electric power in the Far Eastern Federal District. On the left is Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, on the right is Minister for the Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexei Chekunkov
Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev held a meeting on the prospective development of the electric power industry in the Far Eastern Federal District. The meeting was attended by Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, Minister for the Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexei Chekunkov, representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development, heads of Far Eastern regions and representatives of energy companies.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin set the task of creating the best conditions in Russia for doing business in the Far East. The investment attractiveness of the region is largely determined by the cost of providing electricity. We have gathered to make the necessary decisions,” Yuri Trutnev opened the meeting.
The issues of supporting the energy market were discussed. Since January 1, 2025, the phased launch of the energy market has begun in the territory of the United Energy System of the East (Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krais, Amur Oblast, Yakutia and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast). The expected effect of the launch of the energy market is the opportunity to use market instruments to attract investment in the construction and modernization of generating capacities on a competitive basis. On the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, this process should be carried out with the condition of not allowing electricity prices for consumers to rise above the Russian average. Thanks to the measures taken, including maintaining tariff regulation for most of the cheap electricity from hydroelectric power plants, actual prices for consumers in the first months of the energy market’s operation this year were 5-6% lower than the Russian average. Compared to the same period last year, the price in this territory increased by 10% with an average Russian growth of 14%.
The deficit of generating capacities limits further development of the macro-region economy. In accordance with the instructions of the President of Russia, unprecedented conditions for economic development have been created in the Far East, thanks to which the implementation of more than 2.9 thousand investment projects with a total investment volume of 10.2 trillion rubles has been launched. More than 900 enterprises with an investment volume of 5.2 trillion rubles have already been put into operation. Work to attract investments has already given and will continue to form a large load on the electric power infrastructure of the macro-region. According to Rosstat, the growth of electricity consumption in the Far East over the past 10 years has amounted to 26%, which is twice as high as the Russian average. It is predicted that by 2030 this figure will be 5% annually, which is also more than twice as high as the Russian average. At the same time, by 2030, in order to eliminate the predicted deficit of electric energy and capacity in the territory of the Far Eastern Federal District energy systems, it is necessary to build approximately 2.2 GW of thermal power plant capacity and at least 1.7 GW of renewable energy sources.
During the meeting, issues of updating the list of new investment projects implemented in the Far East and their inclusion in the scheme and program for the development of Russian electric power systems for 2026–2031 were discussed. Work to determine the need to build generating capacities to supply energy to new investment projects is being carried out by the Ministry of Energy jointly with the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Ministry of Economic Development, as well as constituent entities of the Russian Federation and JSC SO UES.
As noted by the Minister of Energy Sergey Tsivilev, on the instructions of the President of Russia, an Energy Strategy for the period up to 2050 has been developed. The document was approved by the Government in April of this year. As part of the implementation of the Energy Strategy, two fundamental planning documents for the long-term development of the electric power industry have been developed and approved: the General Scheme for the Placement of Electric Power Facilities until 2042 and the Scheme and Program for the Development of Electric Power Systems of Russia for Six Years, which is approved annually. The System Operator of the Unified Energy System, as the competence center for planning the long-term development of the electric power industry, collects data on current needs and determines the forecast demand of regions for electricity and electric capacity for the development and subsequent updating of these documents.
On the instructions of Yuri Trutnev, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, together with the regions, carried out work to update new investment projects not included in the long-term planning documents in order to determine the need to build generation for their energy supply. The Far Eastern regions have declared about 500 additional investment projects with a total required capacity of almost 8 GW. Of these, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, together with JSC KRDV, verified 138 projects with a total required capacity of 2.7 GW until 2030. In order to continue work on assessing the need to build new generating capacities, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, the Ministry of Economic Development and the System Operator will work out the issue of taking into account additional verified projects in the medium-term forecast for electricity consumption and capacity. Also, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, the Ministry of Energy and the Far Eastern regions will work out the regulatory consolidation of additional criteria for accounting for investment projects in long-term planning documents and corresponding liability measures to guarantee demand for electricity and capacity.
Yuri Trutnev instructed the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Energy and the System Operator to finalize the algorithm for selecting investment projects that require the construction of generation facilities to supply them with energy.
Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexey Chekunkov reported on the work being done to provide benefits of preferential regimes of the Far East and the Arctic for generating companies: “Implementation of investment projects for the creation of generation under preferential regimes will reduce the financial burden on investors and the final cost of electricity for consumers, and shorten the implementation time of such projects. The Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, JSC KRDV, together with investors, are assessing the necessary conditions and the effectiveness of using preferential regimes for each project included in the general scheme.”
Yuri Trutnev instructed the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East to work out the issue of providing benefits for preferential regimes in the Far East and the Arctic for generating companies together with the Ministry of Finance and to report on the situation in the near future. The Ministry of Energy, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East together with the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District were instructed to organize monitoring of the creation of energy capacities for investment projects. “We must monitor how construction is progressing and do everything possible to reduce the time for commissioning energy facilities,” emphasized Yuri Trutnev.
According to the Ministry of Energy, in recent years, the Eastern IES has seen a steady increase in electricity consumption by an average of 5%, which is in line with the forecast figures. Over the next 18 years, the Far East is expected to maintain growth rates of electricity consumption that exceed the Russian average. Thus, in 2024–2030, it is forecast to be 4.9% (2.1% in the country) and 1.38% (0.94% in the country) in subsequent periods. At the end of 2024, the Ministry of Energy approved the scheme and program for the development of Russian electric power systems for 2025–2030. The government approved the General Scheme for the placement of electric power facilities until 2042. In the near future, the Ministry of Energy will submit proposals to clarify the program, dividing it into periods up to 2030, 2036 and 2042.
According to Yuri Trutnev, plans to create new energy capacities should not only take into account the needs of investment projects already being implemented and planned for implementation, but also create a surplus of electricity in the Far Eastern regions.
The meeting considered projects for the construction and reconstruction of generating and power grid facilities in the Far Eastern Federal District to prevent a shortage of electric energy and capacity. In particular, the discussion focused on the implementation of the macroregion’s hydroelectric potential and the construction of geothermal power plants, as well as the expansion of the Primorskaya GRES and the implementation of promising projects for the construction of coal-fired power generation in the Far Eastern Federal District.
It was noted that currently PJSC Rosseti, in accordance with the President’s instruction, has begun implementing measures related to the unification of the parallel synchronous operation of the power systems of Siberia and the East. Also among the largest projects that are under implementation, the construction of a 500 kV substation and a 500 kV energy transit Primorskaya GRES – Varyag for the transmission of additional capacity to the south of Primorsky Krai was named. Work is underway to supply electricity to large industrial facilities, including the Albazinskoye non-ferrous metal deposit, the Kultuminsky and Udokan mining and processing plants and other enterprises.
The development of hydropower was discussed. The general scheme for the placement of electric power facilities provides for the construction of five hydroelectric power plants and one pumped-storage power plant with a total installed capacity of 3.8 GW in the Far East: Nizhne-Zeyskaya HPP (400 MW), Kankunskaya HPP (1000 MW), Nizhne-Nimanskaya HPP (300 MW), Mokskaya HPP (1200 MW), Ivanovskaya HPP (210 MW) and Primorskaya PSPP (600/662 MW). Currently, design and estimate documentation is being developed for the Nizhne-Zeyskaya HPP, a declaration of intent to build is being developed for the Primorskaya PSPP, and such a declaration has already been developed for the Nizhne-Nimanskaya HPP. For other plants, the previously developed design and estimate documentation needs to be updated. In addition to the power engineering facilities already included in the general scheme, the Far East has a huge hydroelectric potential, which allows for the construction of at least 10 more hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of about 7.5 GW. For its effective development, a mechanism is needed to ensure the return of investments in the construction of hydroelectric power plants with the required profitability. Such a mechanism was previously in effect for hydroelectric power and has now been extended for nuclear power. Another extremely important issue is the provision of financing for the construction of hydroelectric power plant reservoirs, which are federal property.
The construction of nuclear power plants was considered. In Primorsky Krai, a 2 GW nuclear power plant is planned. The possibility of building a nuclear power plant in Khabarovsk Krai is being discussed. A low-power nuclear power plant is being built in the village of Ust-Kuyga in the Ust-Yansky District of Yakutia. In Chukotka, the Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant operates. It generates 60% of the electricity of the Chaun-Bilibinsky power hub, covering the needs of mining enterprises and ensuring grid stability.
“Our task is to choose the optimal method of obtaining electricity in terms of the final cost of a kilowatt-hour. For example, we have already said that nuclear power plants will be built in Primorsky Krai. But at the same time, this region has both coal and gas plants – this combination provides maximum efficiency. Hydropower generation and renewable energy sources should also be used in the Far East. In general, the hydro potential of our country is estimated at 250 GW, while in reality only 50 are used. In addition, there is a program for the complete modernization of existing power plants, which not only allows for an extension of their service life, but also in some cases increases capacity by up to 20%,” said Sergei Tsivilev, emphasizing the importance of joint work with the heads of the Far Eastern regions, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Ministry of Energy.
Yuri Trutnev drew the special attention of the leadership of the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, and the heads of the Far Eastern Federal District regions to the need to work out issues of using renewable energy sources.
“Today, the issues of energy supply to the Far East were discussed. Today, the growth of energy consumption in the Far East is twice as high as the average Russian rate, which corresponds to the task set by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for the accelerated development of the macro-region. In my opinion, the work of the Ministry of Energy is carried out professionally: there is an understanding of how this work will be managed. There is a lot of work ahead. There are “narrow points” related to the selection of investment projects. On the one hand, we must provide all investment projects with electricity. And on the other hand, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Finance must be confident that all declared projects will be implemented, the energy capacities will be in demand and will bring profit to the budget of the Russian Federation. But we need to strive to ensure that we cover the needs for electricity with a reserve,” Yuri Trutnev summed up.
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