Translated material
Forgot about export
Inter RAO UES ceased to be an operator for the supply of electricity abroad
The legal status of the operator of export and import of electricity in connection with the liquidation of RAO UES of Russia remained in limbo. According to the legislation of the 90s, only RAO could conduct foreign trade activities in the sale of electricity. In 2002, the energy holding delegated this status to Inter RAO UES , which it created together with the state concern Rosenergoatom. Now that RAO no longer exists, and Inter RAO UES is controlled by the state corporation Rosatom, the functions of the foreign trade operator have been transferred to the Federal Grid Company (FGC). However, it is not yet ready to say how this type of business will function: there are no rules on this matter.The export-import activities of RAO UES have always been considered an insignificant business. Last year, Inter RAO UES supplied only 18.14 billion kWh to other countries, which is 2.38 billion less than in 2006. Imports amounted to 5.62 billion kWh, it increased by 0.51 billion. At the same time, the total output of power plants that were part of the RAO holding amounted to 706 billion kWh. The main buyers of Russian electricity were Finland (54%), Belarus (15 %), Kazakhstan (12%), Latvia (8%) and Lithuania (6%), energy was supplied in small volumes to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, as well as Norway, Mongolia and China. Electricity was imported from Kazakhstan (59%), Ukraine (17%), Lithuania (8%), Azerbaijan (6%), Georgia (5%) and Moldova (4%).
But when Rosenergoatom tried to supply energy to Georgia in 2001, RAO found a way to refuse it. As they said at the time, the energy holding itself was going to supply energy there and did not want anyone else to occupy the section. The dispute lasted more than six months and did not end in anything: the management team at Rosenergoatom was replaced, and RAO decided, together with new managers in the concern, to create Inter RAO UES, in which nuclear scientists owned a 40 percent stake. All export-import contracts of RAO were transferred to this company. A little later, during the reorganization of the holding, it was decided to transfer to the balance sheet of Inter RAO the most modern gas power plants - Sochi, North-Western (the first unit works only for export), Kaliningrad and others. Also, it was on the balance sheet of this company that RAO included purchases of foreign assets. This year, the state decided to transfer the stake in Inter RAO, which it received as a result of the reorganization of RAO, to the balance sheet of Rosatom, which eventually became the controlling shareholder.
However, no one has yet dealt with the problem of export from a legal point of view - everyone is accustomed to the fact that this is the prerogative of Inter RAO. Many market participants interviewed yesterday by Vremya Novostei did not even know that foreign trade activities in the electric power industry are now supervised by the Federal Grid Company. Nevertheless, in the government decree “On reforming the electric power industry,” approved back in 2001, this is clearly written in the section “Creation of a federal grid company.” The head of Inter RAO, Evgeny Dod, told reporters at a press conference in May that exports should be regulated by FSK, and the main task of network operators is to develop rules for cross-section trading. According to him, work is underway on this problem, but so far everything is at the stage of ideas and discussions.
The Federal Grid Company confirmed to Vremya Novostey yesterday that there is currently no document on the rules for the export and import of electricity. It is being developed, but at what level it is difficult to say. At the same time, none of the market participants has yet approached the Federal Grid Company with a request to ensure the export of electricity, the company reported.
A source familiar with the situation said that now it makes no sense for any of the generating companies to engage in exports. The fact is that Inter RAO has already concluded long-term contracts and has completely occupied sections in almost all export directions. Until the expiration of these contracts, no one is able to “squeeze” Inter RAO. However, this is possible later.
The head of the department for control and supervision in the fuel and energy complex of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, which in theory should develop rules for access to networks (and it was she who in 2001 supported Rosenergoatom in the fight against RAO for cutting into Georgia), Alexander Pirozhenko yesterday refused to comment to Vremya Novostey » the situation with energy exports. A source in the service explained that so far no one has set the FAS the task of developing rules for access to export networks. He found it difficult to say who should set such a task.
However, so far private energy companies are not seeking to export electricity. “No one has a surplus of electricity, and besides, prices in Russia are now higher than anywhere else abroad,” says the head of one of the large companies. - There is no point in exporting. Importing is also unprofitable.” However, he found it difficult to predict what the situation would be like in a few years. However, he pointed out that if foreign trade activities become very profitable, Russian business will be able to quickly raise the issue of non-discriminatory access to the section.