A report has been presented to President Vladimir Putin on the general plan for the construction of electricity generation facilities through to 2020.
During the traditional weekly meeting with the Cabinet, Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said that the electricity production sector would make maximum use of nuclear, hydro- and coal-based energy and would scale back the use of gas-based fuel.
Radical changes are planned to the location of energy production facilities, which will make it possible to reliably link the northwest and central regions of Russia with the Urals and the Far East. The plan also involves building two new energy belts – one around Moscow and one around St Petersburg.
Mr Khristenko said that the new plan will ensure reliable electricity production with the sector being able to fully meet the country’s electricity consumption needs through its own generating capacity.
Asked by the President if the new plan links the construction of electricity generation facilities to development prospects for different regions, mining and extraction operations and the creation of new industrial facilities, Mr Khristenko said that the plan does link all of these different aspects together and noted that it could undergo possible adjustments in connection with the new development programme for the Far East.