Krasnodar, 27 December – Yug Times. Our today’s interviewee is Yevgeni Zimenko, regional Minister for fuel and energy complex, and housing and public utilities.
Q.: How is your Ministry working to ensure quality and reliability of power supply?
A.: The total volume of investments in the industry has amounted to 37.5 billion roubles in 2016–2019. This volume was roughly equally divided as 9.4 billion roubles per year. The fulfilment of the investment programs has let us reduce the breakdown rate in high-voltage networks by 17%, and of middle and low-voltage networks – by 8% since 2016. The average time needed to restore the electricity supply reduced from 4 hours 23 minutes to 2 hours.
Q.: Would you mind providing some examples of your activities?
A.: In 2018–2019, we have performed a large-scale reconstruction of the feed centres that provide electricity to Krasnodar and the neighbouring settlements. A new feed centre was launched in the eastern part of the city. The construction of a new substation in Ust-Labinsk rayon has finished, and the reconstruction of the existing substation in Brukhovetskaya has completed. A new feed centre providing for the electric supply of the transport crossing between Krasnodar and Crimea has been commissioned, and the construction of new power generation project in the South-Western power district has begun (the works are to be completed in 2021). These are just a couple of large accomplished projects. We are also working on the primary and secondary distribution mains.
Q.: President Putin was quoted as noting the high level of gas supply in our region. Would you kindly recount on this work in more detail?
A.: As on now, the level of gas supply in the region amounts to 83.2%. To compare: the national average rate in 2018 was 68.4%. Over the past five years, this figure grew by 9% in our region. The plans for this year included construction of 19 gas supply facilities located in 12 municipalities, with the total gas network spread of 139 km. By the end of the year, gas pipelines will come for the first time to 13 settlements.
Q.: What are the private-and-public partnership mechanisms that currently work in the sphere of fuel and energy complex?
A.: Now, the executive powers are considering a number of projects of concession agreements – in Goriachy Kluch, Krylovsky, Krasnoarmeisky, Kalininsky, Seversky, Yeisk and Uspensky rayons. Conclusion of energy service contracts on heating supply is another effective mechanism.
