The management of SIBUR has approved a project to build a thermal power plant to supply heat and electricity to Togliattikauchuk. The investment volume will exceed 800 million rubles. Analysts believe that if the project is implemented, the Togliattian Thermal Power Plant, whose main consumer today is Togliattikauchuk, will suffer.

OOO Togliattikauchuk was founded in 1999 on the basis of Sintezkauchuk. The main owner of the plant is Khimprom, a subsidiary of SIBUR.

In 2002, Togliattikauchuk, according to the Expert magazine, produced and sold products worth more than 5.5 billion rubles. In 2004, Togliattikauchuk plans to produce more than 244,200 tons of rubber, as well as 24,000 tons of commercial isoprene and 5,400 tons of commercial divinyl.

SIBUR plans to allocate 817 million rubles for the construction of a thermal power plant in Tolyatti. This was reported by Igor Krotov, press secretary of Tolyattikauchuk. According to him, a tender is being held today among design organizations. "Development of the project will require 5-6 million rubles," says Krotov. "The general designer will be approved at the beginning of 2004, and construction itself is planned to begin at the end of 2004." The company believes that construction will be completed in 3.5-4 years.

Gennady Fedotov, head of the press service of AK "SIBUR", confirmed the holding's readiness to finance the construction of the thermal power plant. "This will allow the enterprise to reduce its energy costs," he says. According to him, a significant part of "SIBUR's" investment projects for 2004-2005 are connected with the creation of its own generating capacities.

According to one of the managers of Energomashkorporatsiya, who asked not to be named, $26.5 million may not be enough to build a thermal power plant. "It all depends on what equipment is purchased and from whom," he says. "For example, a German gas turbine unit with a capacity of 60 MW costs about $10-12 million." The source believes that building a private thermal power plant is entirely justified, especially given access to a gas pipeline.

It is assumed that the capacity of the constructed thermal power plant will half satisfy the needs of Togliattikauchuk for electricity and completely for steam. Krotov said that the electrical capacity of the thermal power plant will be 50 MW, the station will produce up to 700 tons/hour of technical steam. According to Samaraenergo, today the enterprise consumes heat and electricity monthly in the amount of approximately 130-140 million rubles.

According to the calculations of the managers of Togliattikauchuk, the project will pay for itself no earlier than 2-3 years after the TPP is put into operation. "Most likely, the TPP will receive gas as fuel at internal corporate rates," says Krotov. At the same time, according to him, the steam and electricity produced will not be supplied to third-party organizations.

According to Irina Surkova, press secretary of OAO SMUEK, the appearance of Togliattikauchuk's own TPP will primarily affect the operation of the Togliattian TPP. Togliattikauchuk is the largest consumer of this TPP, consuming up to 60% of heat energy, - explains Surkova. - The introduction of an autonomous source at the enterprise will unload a significant part of the capacity of the Togliattian TPP, increasing the cost of generated heat and electricity. Samaraenergo has not yet been able to say how this problem will be solved.

Explaining the reasons for the emergence of the CHPP construction project, Krotov stated that the management of Togliattikauchuk is not satisfied with the growth of tariffs for heat and electricity in the Samara Region. Krotov pointed out that the transfer of Togliattikauchuk to the category of basic consumers of Samaraenergo did not provide the expected savings. "In fact, it turned out that the costs of purchasing heat and electricity did not decrease," he stated.

"For basic consumers, and there are five of them in the Samara Region, the most favorable tariffs have been determined in comparison with other industrial consumers," Surkova asserts. At one time, Togliattikauchuk expressed a desire to become a FOREM subject, but abandoned this idea after the enterprise was included in the category of basic consumers.

"Togliattikauchuk" to build a thermal power plant