New energy crisis starts in Russia. Utility tariffs will soar, Ukraine's intel reports
Illustrative photo: utility tariffs in Russia will sharply increase (Getty Images)
The Russian authorities have postponed the modernization of 14 thermal power plants until 2028. Against this backdrop, an energy crisis has begun in the country, according to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
According to the Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS), the modernization and refurbishment of thermal power plants were postponed due to delays in the delivery of critical equipment as well as funding cuts.
In particular, key generating capacities controlled by major companies such as Inter RAO and Unipro will remain without modernization. As a result, the commissioning of new units at the Iriklinskaya, Nizhnevartovsk, and Perm hydroelectric power plant (HPP), as well as at Surgutsk thermal power plant-2, has been postponed by at least three years. Similar issues have affected the Kostroma HPP and several facilities in Bashkortostan.
The intelligence service notes that priority in equipment supply will be given to power plants in regions forecasted to face the most acute generation shortages, particularly in Yakutia and the Rostov region.
"The reduction in available generation capacity has led to rising prices both on Russia’s electricity market and in the housing and communal services sector overall. It is expected that this year, utility tariffs in Russia will increase by an average of 11.9%," the FIS emphasized.
At the same time, the new modernization deadlines create risks for the reliability of electricity supply in several key industrial regions, including Orenburg, Kostroma, and Tyumen regions, as well as the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Power issues in Russia
In December last year, residents of Russian-occupied Abkhazia experienced power outages.
This was due to the forced shutdown of the Inguri Hydroelectric Plant amid critically low water levels in the reservoir.
