Money for water

The all -terrestrial cutting of state expenses is not an interference with gigantic investments of Russian state corporations in the creation of large hydroelectric power stations at home and abroad

The Ministry of Energy approved the RusHydro investment program for this year, and tomorrow, December 25, at its Christmas meeting, it will be approved by the board of directors of the state corporation. Paradoxical is that in the investment program the costs of increasing the safety and efficiency of existing stations are reduced, and investments in the construction of new hydroelectric power stations increased relative to the previous plan by 31%, to 34.8 billion rubles.

In connection with the inflation, RusHydro is going to invest in the creation of the Boguchanskaya hydroelectric power station, an additional 5 billion rubles, thus, the official amount of investments in the creation of this station will increase to 96 billion rubles. At the same time, the energy of the Boguchansky hydroelectric power station was not issued to a single energy system for the absence of power lines, and the Boguchansky aluminum plant supplied by it was never completed due to the fall in the demand for aluminum in the Chinese market.

The other day, RusHydro announced the conclusion of agreements with the Chinese Corporation of Three Gorges to calculate joint projects in rubles, and export contracts for the supply of electricity in the PRC - in the yuan. At the same time, the company asks for “only” 230 billion rubles to create the so -called “anti -flowering” hydroelectric power stations, however, these calculations were made at the beginning of the year. As the New ”already wrote, this initiative is able to give an insignificant anti -flower, and even more dubious economic effect, as well as delay financing from really effective measures to reduce flood risks. Partners plan to attract 70% of the funds from Russian and Chinese financial institutions, and the remaining 30%, as previously expected, will be asked from the National Welfare Fund or other Goskarman. Thus, the Chinese hydroelectric power stations built on Russian territory will have to fork out the Russians themselves.

As expected, on New Year's Eve, Russia was especially generous with gifts to neighbors. In the near future, Russians have to pay for the construction of hydroelectric power plants in many friendly countries.

At the beginning of the month, during the meetings of the Prime Ministers of Kyrgyzstan and Russia, it was confirmed that RusHydro would build a total of $ 4 billion on the territory of the Republic of Verkhne-Naryn and Kambaratinsky hydroelectric power station. The neighboring Uzbekistan promised to provide all kinds of resistance up to the military if the Kyrgyz did not stop promoting these hydroelectric power stations in the upper common rivers. In this regard, at the meetings of the Russian and Uzbek presidents it was decided to forgive Uzbekistan the state debt of more than $ 800 million.

On the eve of Putin’s visit to India, RusHydro signed an agreement with the Arunalal-Pradesh authorities on promising areas of cooperation, and the Russian direct investment fund guaranteed the investment of at least $ 1 billion in the development of Indian energy.

In neighboring Pakistan, the daughter of Rostec Corporation Technopromesport considers the opportunity to find funds for the construction and supply of equipment for the Diamer-Bhasha DAM with a calculated capacity of 4.5 megavatts. The volume of the investment program is from 10 to 12 billion dollars. It should be assumed that in order to comply with parity, Russia will lay out at least $ 1 billion.

At the end of December, the results of the tender for the construction of the Chihuido-1 hydroelectric power station were also announced in Celul, the largest city in Argentinean Patagonia. The Argentino-Spanish consortium won the construction tender for construction, and the Russian “Inter RAO-Export” received the rights to financing and supplying equipment. As the Minister of Federal Planning Hulio de Vido said at a press conference, we are talking about investments in the amount of $ 1.84 billion, while 85% of the amount will be funded by the Russian side. The debt is promised to return for 20 years.

Russian companies are also involved in the creation of hydroelectric power stations in Laos and Ecuador, in addition, they are interested in creating a transocean channel in Nicaragua at Pico Panama. Not further, as yesterday, the “Independent Gazeta” published a nostalgic article that calls for the authorities after the Olympics and the annexation of Crimea to again be puzzled by the turn of the Siberian rivers - to quench the thirst for Central Asia with the waters of the Ob and Irtysh. True, the list of lobbyists, except for the ex-mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, is not specifically named.

It is pleasant to see that Russian state corporations find the strength, and in the treasury funds for hydraulic cooperation with close neighbors and distant allies. However, in the current economic situation, it seems at the same time that these projects are not quite appropriate.