En+ switches charging stations to Russian software

KRASNOYARSK. March 2 (Interfax) - En+ Group has switched all of its charging stations to Russian software since the imposition of sanctions, the head of the group's energy business, Mikhail Khardikov said.

"We're not seeing any problems. Moreover, we're even seeing more flexibility because fine-tuning of the Russian software on which our charging stations now run happens far faster," Khardikov said at the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum (KEF) on Thursday.

Of the company's 19 currently operating charging stations - 18 in Irkutsk Region and one in Krasnoyarsk - only three were built with imported equipment, he said. The other 16 were built by Parus Elektro LLC, a Moscow-based developer and manufacturer of uninterruptible power sources, charging stations and other power conversion equipment.

"Obviously there are imported components [in the Russian charging stations], but they were assembled in Russia. We are glad that this sector is in-demand in Russia. Now those whom we select as the manufacturer, they're in Russia. And we're happy with this. Our colleagues resolve issues with import substitution or access to imported components on their own," Khardikov said.

He said a number of charging stations have already broken even and the company plans to continue to expand its network of stations. En+ hopes that Irkutsk Region will be included in the list of regions receiving subsidies for development of charging station networks in 2024, as this would stimulate the development of charging infrastructure.