| The Volgodonsk NPP is being harnessed to the Don economy The administration of the Rostov region has secured a preferential energy tariff for the five most energy-intensive Don enterprises, which is 5-10% lower than usual. According to the plan of the provincial authorities, cheap electricity will be supplied by the Volgodonsk nuclear power plant. A new enterprise, Donatomenergosbyt, which was established by the regional administration-owned grid company Donenergo together with the Rosenergoatom concern, will sell this energy directly to consumers. The local operator of RAO UES, Rostovenergo, will be affected by the innovation.
Don officials have long tried to negotiate preferential energy tariffs for the Rostov region in connection with the launch of the first power unit of the Volgodonsk NPP. Such benefits were seen as some kind of compensation for being adjacent to such a potentially dangerous facility as a nuclear power plant. “Since a nuclear power plant is capable of generating cheap electricity, let it sell it to the Rostov region directly, bypassing the Federal Wholesale Electricity and Capacity Market (FOREM),” said deputies of the local legislative assembly. Regional Minister of Fuel and Energy Sergei Nazarov even named the size of the discount that would suit the Rostov region - 10-15% of regular tariffs.
The industrial launch of the first power unit of Vonuclear Power Plant took place almost three months ago, but the region has still not received any cheap electricity from the station. Of course, nuclear scientists allocated 360 million rubles as compensation for their presence. for social projects in the 30-kilometer zone around Vonuclear Power Plant, sponsored a number of local competitions and cultural projects, promised to finance the construction of a sturgeon factory, but all these are one-time investments. Local authorities want stable dividends from Volgodonsk Nuclear Power Plant.
However, for now we are only talking about the fact that the Rostov region will begin to purchase nuclear electricity in limited quantities. It is planned that from April 1, Tagmet, the Belokalitvinsky Metallurgical Association, the Novocherkassk Synthetic Products Plant, the Krasnosulinsky Metallurgical Plant and the Novocherkassk Electrode Plant - that is, the most energy-intensive Don enterprises - will receive cheap electricity. By providing the benefit, the Don authorities demand that these enterprises increase their production volume.
True, the “nuclear plan” of the regional administration may still fail. According to Sergei Nazarov, RAO UES is opposed to direct sales of electricity, which is quite understandable. After all, in the domestic electric power industry there is still so-called cross-subsidization: for some categories of consumers, for example, the population, a kilowatt-hour is sold below cost, and losses are covered by enterprises that pay inflated tariffs. General Director of Rostovenergo Fedor Kushnarev has repeatedly said that if such large and profitable clients as Tagmet or the Krasnosulinsky Metallurgical Plant are taken away from his company, it will become more difficult for energy companies to cover the losses they incur by selling their products below cost.
Meanwhile, this year they will begin to complete the construction of the second power unit of Vonuclear Power Plant, for which the first 3 billion rubles will be allocated. There will be more cheap nuclear electricity in the Rostov region, and accordingly, the number of people wishing to be powered by it directly will increase. Igor BURAKOV, Rostov-on-Don |
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