Russian diesel generator manufacturers have the chance to take a significant share of the Russian market, but there are difficulties - experts
YEKATERINBURG. July 12 (Interfax) - Domestic manufacturers of diesel generators, thanks to the departure of a number of foreign suppliers, can conquer a significant part of the Russian market for their products if they offer an adequate price-quality ratio, Igor Nikolaev, Deputy Director of the Innovation Department for Renewable Energy Sources of RusHydro , said.
"Today, it seems to me, there is a unique opportunity for domestic manufacturers of diesel generators, because some foreign suppliers have left. If [domestic manufacturers] can offer an adequate solution in terms of price and other criteria, then there is a chance to win a significant piece of the Russian energy market. We need to take advantage of this," Nikolaev said at the intersectoral event "Technological Sovereignty in Diesel Power Generation as the Basis for Energy Security in Remote Territories of the Far East and the Arctic" which was part of the Innoprom international exhibition in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday.
At the same time, he noted that sometimes equipment has to be ordered from abroad due to shorter delivery times.
"The conditions of the Arctic, the Far North dictate special operating conditions. It must be a reliable machine and, given the logistics window, as our facilities are located in hard-to-reach areas, adequate delivery times for diesel engines as well. Now we have to wait 6-7 months, or even more, until [a Russian] plant will manufacture and deliver. If we do not have time in the navigation season, we leave it for the next year. Accordingly, these time lags are unacceptable. Therefore, we end up having to bring them from abroad," he said.
Konstantin Andronaki, Gazprom Neft Head of Generation at the Directorate for Gas and Energy, said that the company has powerful diesel generators at its gas turbine power plants that are used for drilling needs. "I will support the message that domestically produced diesel engines, which are able to work "for a long time," including in drilling, [. . .] probably don't exist yet," he said.
The company is ready to purchase domestic generating gas piston equipment, but it is likely that it will not be possible to switch over to it quickly, he said.
"We are now talking about the fact that we are purposefully ready to buy domestic; not parallel imports, and probably not even from China. [. . .] We understand that in the short term, we probably will not be able to, as our factories, unfortunately, are now overloaded," Andronaki said.
He added that his company, for its part, is ready to help manufacturers, and find support measures from both the state and investment funds.