OREANDA-NEWS. An extended meeting of working group on the matters of energy supply of the Murmansk Oblast took place at the Kolskiy Branch of JSC TGC-1 under the supervision of the Minister of Energy Industry of Russia, Alexey Texler.

The participants of the meeting discussed the matters of modernization for the regional heat supply facilities, perspectives of installation of gas service, and the forecasts on energy loads of the Murmansk Oblast and development of its infrastructure.

“The Murmansk Oblast energy supply system is unique and requires comprehensive and sometimes creative approach to the matters of its development. Taking into account the geographical position of the region, steady supply of energy resources to all consumers is a must to provide energy security of the Murmansk Oblast and support sustainable social and economical development of the region,” said Alexey Tukavin, First Deputy Governor of the Murmansk Oblast.

“One of the main tasks of the working group is to define the effective ways of modernization of the heat energy facilities of the Murmansk Oblast, including the ways of avoiding the fuel oil dependency,” emphasized Alexey Texler. “It is necessary to support the proposals of the Head of the Region on the matters of diversification of the energy supply, stabilization of tariffs, and reduction of the grant element of heat generation. Economic effect of all our actions must become our primary concern.”

The Minister of Energy Industry and Housing Utilities of the Murmansk Oblast, Vladimir Gnoevskiy, told about implementation of the first stage of design works on Complex Programme for Modernization of the heat supply facilities of the Oblast and municipal property in order to improve the structure of the region fuel balance for 2014-2020 and possibilities of installation of gas service.

JSC TGC-1 Kolskiy branch produces up to 45% of the electricity consumed in the Polar region while operating the largest heat power plants - the Apatitskaya and the Murmanskaya CHPPs. In 2013, a project on construction of a heating main from Apatitskaya CHPP to Kirovsk was completed, thus allowing to close the fuel oil boiler facilities in Kirovsk and decrease the fuel oil consumption by 70 thous. tonnes a year. Also a project on steam transfer from the Municipal Solid Waste Processing Plant to the Eastern Boiler Facility of the enterprise continues, allowing to save up to 10 thous. tonnes of fuel oil a year.

JSC TGC-1 consolidates 55 power plants in four federal subjects of RF - Saint Petersburg, the Republic of Karelia, the Leningrad Oblast and the Murmansk Oblast. Installed electric capacity of TGC-1 as of 01.01.2013 is 7.36 GW, and the heat capacity is 13,422.0 Gсal/h. Combined share of hydropower generation in the Company's installed capacity equals to 40%.