Russian electricity exports down 35% since beginning of year due 80% drop in supplies to China - Inter RAO

MOSCOW. Sept 11 (Interfax) - Electricity exports from Russia have fallen 35% since the beginning of 2024 compared to the same period last year, Inter RAO management board member Alexandra Panina told Interfax on the sidelines of the Energy for Consumers conference.

"We are down 35% since the beginning of the year. The main reason is a drop in exports to China. Our exports to China have fallen by a cumulative 80% since the beginning of the year," Panina said.

"The situation hasn't changed: the Amur-Heihe line was disconnected on November 9 last year and is still disconnected. Not once has it been possible to connect this line during this period. So exports ranging from 67-113MW are being made to an isolated zone of China," she said.

She said the reasons were still the balance in the eastern energy system. "The water level situation has now eased, but reservoirs are filling and preparations for the autumn-winter period are underway," she said.

Inter RAO is operating as planned in other directions, the main one this year being Kazakhstan. Mongolia is taking quite a lot and there have been small deliveries to Turkey, Panina said.

Inter RAO is "reasonably optimistic" about the restoration of export volumes to China. "If generation in the Far East emerges from scheduled and unscheduled repairs and starts working at full capacity, then perhaps we'll have export volumes. Theoretically, the completion of the maintenance program could significantly improve the situation," Panina said.