16 Sep 2009 17:49

Energy Ministry proposes additional 10 bln rubles for work on Siberian grid

MOSCOW. Sept 16 (Interfax) - The Russian Energy Ministry has proposed increasing the investment program of Federal Grid Company by 10 billion rubles in 2010 to finance work to strengthen the power grid in Siberia.

The revision is needed to ensure the security of electricity supplies in Siberia following the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Station, Deputy Energy Minister Vyacheslav Sinyugin said at a press conference on Wednesday.

The increase in funds is included in the company's draft investment program, which the Energy Ministry submitted to the government for consideration on Tuesday, he said.

Under the program, FGC will invest 171 billion rubles in 2010, or 15.4 billion rubles more than the company initially planned.

FGC Deputy CEO Valery Chistyakov said at the press conference that the construction of the second section of the Alyuminievaya-Abakan-Itatskaya power lines with capacity of 500 kilowatts had been included in the investment program to ensure the reliability of energy supplies in Siberia.

The program also includes infrastructure that will ensure electricity output at the Boguchanskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant, which will partially compensate the generating capacity lost as a result of the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP. Such infrastructure namely includes the construction of 334 kilometers of power lines with capacity of 500 kilowatts from the Boguchanskaya HPP to Ozernaya as well as the reconstruction of the Kodinsk sub-station with capacity of 220 kilowatts.

In addition, FGC will accelerate the construction of the 310-kilometer Voskhod-Ishim power lines with capacity of 500 kilowatts to increase electricity flows from the Urals United Energy System to the Siberian United Energy System. The 250-kilometer Kurgan-Ishim power lines with capacity of 500 kilowatts will also be built for this purpose. FGC will also come up with a plan for electricity production from generating stations that are to partially replace output from the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP. In particular, FGC will build power lines with capacity of 500 kilowatts from the Berezovskaya State District Power Plant to Itat so that electricity can start flowing from the plant's new third power generating unit.

The company will also build power lines with capacity of 220 kilowatts to transfer electricity from the new generating unit at the Krasnoyarsk-3 Combined Heat and Power Plant.