RAO UES of Russia is confident that the development of the markets for electric power and gas after 2012 in Russia will make it possible to enter into regular long-term agreements for supplies of gas to new power plants of generating companies established in the course of the holding company's reform, RAO UES Management Board member Alexander Chikunov told journalists on Wednesday. While opening a new gas-turbine unit at Belgorod Combined Heat and Power Plant which had cost RAO UES over 2 billion roubles to built, Mr Chikunov noted that for OJSC Territorial Generating Company No 4 (TGC-4) whereof Belgorod CHPP is a part the "issue of fuel supplies, i.e. gas deliveries is not sensitive." "Two weeks ago we entered into five-year agreements with Gazprom for gas supplies to all existing power plants and those to be commissioned in the period in question. I am confident that after 2012 when there will be a need to enter into new contracts, liberalisation of the markets for electric power and gas will make it possible to establish a basis for entering into such contracts," said Mr Chikunov. He noted that one basis for entering into long-term gas supply agreements is the fact that gas-turbine power plants being commissioned under RAO UES's investment programme allow producing more electric power while consuming less gas. Liberalisation of the wholesale power market in Russia is scheduled to start in 2011. From that time on, Russia will be to achieve an equal level of profits from selling gas in the domestic and the global markets. |
