Managing Director of Rosseti Tomsk Alexander Cherpinsky spoke about initiatives to reconstruct regional networks

– Alexander Valerievich, your recent speech in the regional Duma caused a noticeable resonance, while some were openly skeptical about the proposals voiced. How do you explain such a reaction?

– In my opinion, the main reason is insufficient understanding of how our industry works and how significant risks have developed within the framework of the existing model of its financing.

In addition, during our presentation it turned out that some deputies were initially critical: they thought that we had come to ask for money from the regional budget.

In this case, it could turn out that the essence (that is, energy supply issues that are critically important for the region) would be erased automatically – they say, since there is no money, then there is nothing to talk about. One way or another, in the end we managed to prove that there is a topic for discussion, and there is no way to get around it.

“At the same time, a certain part of the online community also expressed distrust.

– At this level there are also patterns associated with the topic of money. People believe that we take them out of thin air and end up hiding incredible profits from everyone. In practice, the company receives money from a common tariff pot. And the tariff regulation department of the Tomsk region is responsible for their distribution. It also determines the amount of funds that we receive for the repair and reconstruction of networks, as well as the construction of new facilities. In addition, all these plans are considered and approved at the level of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, where we are asked for every ruble – what, where, why and to what extent it is necessary.

As for any “surplus” – namely, funds not distributed in this way – in fact, we cannot use them for renovation and repair purposes due to the presence of obligations to connect new consumers, determined by federal legislation.

The regulator also distributes funds for the implementation of this program. Last year, we were approved for 71 million rubles from the tariff pool, but in fact we spent about 290 million for these purposes, connecting more than 1,600 new consumers. At the same time, sometimes we receive requests for connection, where the cost of connection amounts to tens of millions of rubles. For this year, the forecast level of expenses for this item is 522 million rubles, while the regulator approved the company only 91 million. The gap is widening, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to cover it. And what suffers first of all is the investment program, which is tied to issues of development and reliability – and not only the networks themselves.

– What exactly can we talk about?

– In my speech, I gave a clear example regarding such a large investment project as the construction of facilities of the Ilmenit company. Great hopes and plans are associated with it to increase the investment indicators of the region.

And I clearly showed that all ten power centers that provide energy supply to Tomsk and its suburbs are overloaded. And I will not be able to provide investors with the capacity they require, since there is no capacity for new consumers. And it will take time and money to build them. For example, modernization of the Airport substation. The project took 3 years and more than 270 million rubles to implement.

In the case of the same Ilmenit, we are talking about the need to invest about 400 million rubles in the modernization of the Malinovka substation. At the same time, the entire complex of work, starting from design, will take two years.

Can an area that has similar restrictions on connecting to power grids be investment-attractive and competitive in the context of intensifying regional competition for projects and related resources? That is, the issue of investing in the reconstruction of networks needs to be considered from this angle, and not just in the context of the usual “no money.” We know that they are not there, but they will not appear if we do nothing.

– In your speech, you emphasized the topic of deterioration of the region’s power grids. How does it overlap with the picture you have designated?

– Wear is a separate and extremely painful issue, which they also try not to notice. Even when I voice the current figures of 70% of our – that is, backbone for the region – networks, this does not make much of an impression.

Apparently, stereotypes in the spirit of “why bother” or “well, we live at 70% and nothing” play a role. The problem is that networks – despite the truly large margin of safety laid down by their creators – last for a certain time, and then begin to literally crumble. We still have a small lead time – 10 years, maybe a little more – after which the system will reach a critical level of wear and tear and then it will be difficult to calculate the consequences. There are already regions in Siberia where, in severe frosts, the infrastructure cannot withstand the load from connected heaters. And the network company asks consumers not to turn on heating appliances unless necessary.

How we (that is, everyone living in the Tomsk region) will use this temporary reserve is also a very big and extremely important question. From the example given, it should be clear that the reconstruction of a not very problematic substation will take two years, and this is without the preparatory period associated with making the necessary decisions and finding financing. Time is short, and you need to spend it in the most thrifty way.

– But what if we measure the issue in terms of money?

– About 5 billion rubles need to be invested in the reconstruction of substations located near Tomsk alone. The work will take 7-8 years, that is, it is possible to meet the required deadlines – the main thing is not to put off the issue for the eternal later.

The regulatory agreement mechanism we propose is designed specifically to launch “long-term” investments in infrastructure. Initially, it was successfully tested in the gas supply sector; in 2019, corresponding amendments to the federal law “On Energy” were introduced by President Vladimir Putin.

The very next year, the first such agreement was concluded in one of the key industrial regions – the Perm Territory. At the same time, the signing ceremony was attended by the deputy heads of PJSC Rosseti and the Federal Antimonopoly Service. At the beginning of this year, this practice was introduced by the Chechen Republic, the Novgorod region and our neighbors from the Omsk region.

The mechanism itself is extremely simple and transparent – within the framework of the agreement, the parties undertake mutual obligations. Regional authorities, represented by regulatory structures, ensure the establishment of long-term tariffs and their indexation. Network companies invest in achieving clearly defined and measurable indicators. The text of the agreement is subject to mandatory approval by the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia, and its implementation is carefully monitored by the relevant authorities.

We haven’t invented or distorted anything at all – we are talking about a tool developed at the federal level, designed to solve problems that are pressing for us and has already been tested in a number of regions that are not the most simple from an energy point of view.

– What are the parameters of such an agreement?

– Within the framework of our proposed scheme, existing tariffs are increased by 5% of the inflation rate prescribed in the forecast for the socio-economic development of the Tomsk region. This measure is a one-time one, more precisely, distributed over two years (2025 and 2026), after which indexation will not be carried out.

The population and most organizations will not feel changes in the tariff; the main burden will fall on enterprises with a high share of electricity consumption. And here two points need to be noted. Firstly, this distribution is fair – whoever creates the greatest load on the networks bears the main burden in terms of updating them. I will repeat – if the grid complex begins to crumble, then the costs of these companies will become many times greater than the scheme we propose for financing the development of the electric grid complex. Secondly, we are talking about increasing the tariff by several kopecks per kilowatt-hour.

– What is the effect you expect?

– Thanks to this mechanism, we will be able to obtain the necessary minimum funds to form a more or less balanced investment program for the coming years. According to existing calculations, the agreement will make it possible to attract 3-4 billion rubles into it.

The program funds will be used for the reconstruction of critical substations and distribution networks at the regional level. At the same time, I repeat once again that we cannot spend investment funds at our own discretion. All initiatives related to reconstruction and investment are approved at the level of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.

– So now the balance is between finances and reliability?

– I’ll say it again – money, of course, is important, but first of all we are talking about strategy. That is why, in addition to the regulatory agreement, the company proposes to create a collegial body that will assess the investment programs of grid companies in the Tomsk region.

Now the targeted funds distributed by the regulator from the common regional pot are spent by network companies, of which there are 10 in the region, in a manner that is not entirely clear. Private companies do not coordinate their repair and development programs with the federal control authorities (the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation or the FAS). The amount of funding is agreed upon in the Tariff Regulation Department; in principle, “private traders” spend the allocated funds at their own discretion. But in the event of any global problem on their networks, they will always call us for help. Nobody will ask them how and where they spent the tariff money. Whether they invested in network repairs or in the purchase of new cars is their own business.

The region has priority tasks that require energy supply – in principle, there is no other way. So let’s collectively and openly (within the limits of what is permissible, of course) link the development strategy of the region and its specific territories with the strategy for the development of electric grids. These are the basic things on which the same legendary GOELRO plan was built.

We propose to gather economists, energy specialists, builders and investors who will jointly determine where the future microdistrict will be built, whether the existing substation there will be enough, and where new capacities will be needed for the development of construction or production. And believe me, while we are making plans, time is not on our side. Every year it becomes more and more difficult to ensure reliability, and I sincerely would not like the residents of the region to feel what a power supply limitation is like. When the light is out of 24 hours, it is supplied only during the day.