Tatarstan reaches its all-time capacity consumption peak
“Earlier, every region forecasted energy development itself, and there was a big problem of inconsistency. Now there has appeared the first development programme uniting coordinated plans for all regions based on one development scenario,” First Vice Board Chairman of Russian Power System Operator Sergey Pavlushko at the Tatarstan government’s meeting on energy efficiency, which took place during the Tatarstan International Power Engineering and Energy Efficiency Forum. Since 1 January 2023, the regions have switched to a new electrical energy development planning system. It is unclear what it is fraught with for Tatarstan — the competitiveness of its own generation still falls behind, but the new federal programme anyway factors in an optimistic energy production growth of 1.5% by 2028. Read more in Realnoe Vremya’s report.
Without Tatarstan’s rais
Since 1 January 2023, regional energy systems have switched to a new electrical energy development planning system designed by Russian Power System Operator. It was handed over functions of creating a general scheme to locate electrical energy facilities, which, in fact, is to centralise generation management in the country. First Vice Board Chairman of Russian Power System Operator Sergey Pavlushko explained the place Tatarstan generation was given in the new development model at an away meeting of the Tatarstan government.
Traditionally, it was convened at Kazan Expo international exhibition centre during the Tatarstan International Power Engineering and Energy Efficiency Forum, but Tatarstan Rais Rustam Minnikhanov missed it for the first time. He was partly replaced by Tatarstan parliament speaker Farid Mukhametshin. While Tatarstan Prime Minister Alexey Pesoshin held a big exposition of energy enterprises and the meeting on energy efficiency itself, Vice Premier and Minister of Industry and Trade of Tatarstan Oleg Korobchenko delivered a report too.
Energy consumption in Tatarstan will grow 1.5%, Russian Power System Operator forecasts
First Vice Board Chairman of Russian Power System Operator Sergey Pavlushko said that in the new scheme Tatarstan was considered one of the regions with excessive capacity and forecasted electrical energy consumption growth. According to him, electrical energy generation will grow by 1.5% by 2028 with the average Russian rate of 1.8%. The forecast reads that capacity consumption will be 5.300 MW, whereas the existing capacity of the energy system is 8.000 MW. In other words, industrial consumers won’t be able to take away existing capacities of the energy system. Moreover, electrical energy consumption will grow to 34.5 billion kW/h, that’s to say, by 1.5%. Nobody questions these forecasts.
Pavlushko’s presentation read that the launch of new generating capacities would limit only to one facility. An AGK-2 waste incineration plant adding another 55 MW of capacity is expected to be put into operation by 2024. The other generating capacities are going to be upgraded. It is the replacement of obsolete gas turbines at the Nizhnekamsk CHPP-2, which belongs to Tatneft, and Nizhnekamsk CHPP-1, a part of TGC-16, according to the materials of the vice chairman of Russian Power System Operator. By the end of the year, the Nizhnekamsk CHPP-2 will get the main Russian turbine GTE-170.1 assembled by Power Machines. It will replace the 135 MW Soviet TG-1 turbine. It wasn’t specified how much energy efficiency would increase. The turbine at the Nizhnekamsk CHPP-2 is expected to be replaced in 2025, but there is no delivery contract with Power Machines.
Also, new electrical substations in Sokury and Pestretsy will be built and another two substations providing electricity supply of the international airport will be renovated in 2023.
Maintenance of foreign gas turbines is one of the hot-button issues. As Vice Director General of Power Machines Ruslan Pakhomov told Realnoe Vremya, the country uses about 40 Siemens turbines, Power Machines is ready to service them providing supplies of components.
“There was signed a contract on supply of components and spare parts with one of the generating companies,” he said.
According to him, big energy companies already developed their service subdivisions but purchase spare parts from Power Machines. In the future, the industrial enterprise is ready to master the production of components for General Electric gas turbines.
Investment programmes of NKNK, Tatneft and KAMAZ included
“In general the programme includes investments plants of Nizhnekamskneftekhim, Tatneft, KAMAZ,” noted Sergey Pavlushko. “Their investment programmes became a part of the new planning system in electrical energy generation. In general consumption is forecasted to grow by 10,000 MW,” he concluded and added that the generating capacities were totally renovated in 2022, which expanded capacities on the territory by 2,000 MW. There were launched 55 new generating units.”
“Tatarstan reached the all-time capacity consumption peak this year already, 4,900 MW,” noted Pavlushko.
The new development planning system launched in the sector has two levels. It will replace a three-level model that existed since 2010. The first vice board chairman of Russian Power System Operator said it was necessary to adopt a new system because it was necessary to synchronise the location of generating facilities considering real needs.”
“Earlier, every region forecasted energy development itself, and there was one document at the top that forecasted the development across the country. There was a big problem of inconsistency, as a consequence, there was an ineffective management system,” he said. Now there appeared the first development programme. It looks like coordinated plans of all regions based on one development scenario,” he said.
On 1 March, the Russian Ministry of Energy issued a decree on the new programme.
“A public discussion was held for the first time. Over 5,000 proposals and remarks were received. 30% of them influenced technical solutions. Tatarstan was actively involved,” concluded Pavlushko.
“Modernisation of production facilities of the energy system and launch of new capacities is of paramount importance”
Tatarstan Minister of Industry and Trade Oleg Korobchenko reported on results in 2022 — they turned out to be above forecasts. In 2022, electrical energy consumption in the region was 33 billion kW, which is 3.5% more than in 2021. Electrical energy generation rose by 4.7%, to 28,1 billion kW. 5 billion kW/h is purchased from the outside because the price is more competitive.
“Even though electrical energy generation rates are higher than consumption, there is still a deficit of competitive electrical energy generated at the republic’s stations. Today it is compensated thanks to the power flow from the United National Grid. This is why modernisation of production facilities of the energy system and launch of new capacities is of paramount importance,” noted Korobchenko. “Including thanks to distributed generation capacities.”
The capacity of this distributed generation has reached 844.6 MW nowadays, or 9.7% of the whole energy system of the republic.
This number is firstly linked with the completion of a big gas turbine engineering project in 2022 — the Lemayev 495 MW gas turbine at Nizhnekamskneftekhim. Own energy capacities are built — Lushnikov 311.4 MW gas turbine at Kazanorgsintez.
“Gas turbines account for the biggest share of imports in generation where General Electric, Siemens, Solar Turbines, Rolls Royce and others are key foreign producers. There is dependence on some foreign materials and components.
Both small-scale and large-scale energy facilities in Tatarstan have equipment of foreign manufacturers (Kazan CHPP-3, Lemayev Gas Turbine (NKNK), Kazan CHPP-1, Kazan CHPP-2),” said Oleg Korobchenko.
According to him, high-voltage potential transformers and switches in the power supply network hold a significant share of imports.
“The government of Russia is taking anti-crisis measures, the production of commodities replacing imports are starting to be mastered, service support is provided to equipment of foreign manufacturers,” he assured the audience. “The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade together with the Ministry of Energy developed a foreign equipment service and repair map.”
