The past year has become a serious test not only for industry, but also for the Russian economy as a whole
The situation that has arisen as a result of the current geopolitical situation has forced domestic business to look for effective growth points, as well as ways to reorient to interact with new strategic partners.
Photo : ssr. Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1134725
The Russian energy holding En+ has traditionally highlighted the key areas and main events of the outgoing year, many of which clearly reflect economic processes in the country.
Last year, the company maintained the pace of implementation and investment in the New Energy program. Equipment replacement at hydroelectric power plants continues. Modernization of facilities will ensure reliable and affordable energy supply for the population and economy of Siberia. It is also planned in the future to reduce the demand for electricity from coal-fired power plants.
Two hydraulic units have been modernized at the Krasnoyarsk HPP. The power plant also received a new 630 MVA transformer. At the Irkutsk HPP, replacement of the impeller on the hydraulic unit has begun, as a result of which the power will increase to 761.1 MW. Until 2026, 298.6 million US dollars will be allocated for modernization.
En+ and China Energy Investment Corporation signed an agreement on the joint development of the Zashulan coal deposit. The project will allow production of 5 million tons of thermal coal per year by the end of 2027.
From the press release it follows that the field will create about 1,700 jobs. The investment project involves the construction of a coal mine, infrastructure and a highway, as well as the creation of a non-public railway station Gyrshelun-Ugolnaya.
En+ is active develops new projects in the field of renewable energy. One of them was the construction of a wind farm in the Amur region. The station's capacity will reach 1,058 MW, preliminary investment estimates are 60 billion rubles.
The company's press service noted that the company has entered into agreements with the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation and the Government of the Amur Region, as well as with Chinese partners .
As part of SPIEF 2023, En+ and Unigreen Energy considered the possibility of expanding the Abakan solar station in the Republic of Khakassia from 5.2 MW to 25 MW. The companies also discussed the construction of solar power plants in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Irkutsk Region, the Republic of Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory.
In 2023, En+ organized Carbon Neutrality Day at the Skolkovo Technopark. The company presented its second report on achieving its Net Zero strategy by 2050. Today, as the company clarified, a 35% reduction in emissions is planned to be achieved by 2035.
The holding closely monitors the ecology of the largest freshwater Lake Baikal. The volunteer campaign “360” has been held for 13 years. In 2023, lake cleaning activities were carried out twice.
Photo: En+ press service
In August alone, 1.5 thousand volunteers collected 60 tons of garbage. In October, 770 people cleaned up an area of 14.4 hectares. During three October events, 14 tons of garbage were collected on Lake Baikal.
In the past year, the company opened four Multilab competency centers. They appeared in Divnogorsk, Bratsk, Angarsk and Nizhny Novgorod. The new classrooms are equipped with computer and multimedia equipment, digital equipment and functional furniture.
Photo: En+ press service
The equipment is designed to develop digital competencies among schoolchildren and teachers. The company reported that today there are 7 Multilabs operating in different cities. There are plans to open three more such centers in 2024.
Another direction of the company’s development is scholarship programs. In the past year, as stated in the press service, En+ awarded scholarships in the amount of 2,000 to 25,000 rubles. The programs operate in the regions of presence, where, starting this year, payments began to be received not only by future power engineers and metallurgists, but also by medical students and teachers.
The holding has been implementing a scholarship program since 2021 and annually expands the list of partner universities and colleges : if at the launch of the project 25 educational institutions participated in it, then today there are already 56. In 2023, 177 students were selected to receive a scholarship.
According to the press service, this year the company joined the Federal project » Professionalism» training of personnel to meet business needs for the development of Russian regions.
Two educational institutions participate in the program — on the basis of the Ust-Labinsk Social Pedagogical College and the Irkutsk Energy College for the training of highly specialized specialists. In addition, the company supports the expansion of the federal project towards the training of teaching staff.