The sector’s main issue is the 20-year depreciation of fixed assets: the national depreciation average is 60%, and in some cases it reaches 80%. According to experts, the total investment needed for the modernisation of just the housing and utilities infrastructure to bring it up to standard amounts to 9.1 trillion rubles.
The meeting participants will discuss the proposals of the State Council working group on ways to address the sector’s main problems, including the slow modernisation rate of municipal infrastructure and lack of investment attractiveness. Presentations will be made by State Council working group leader and St Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko and Regional Development Minister Igor Slyunyayev.
Experts believe the priority tasks include safeguarding the public from soaring utility rates with simultaneous transfer of market control mechanisms over production and investment efficiency to the regions.
Proposals on addressing the problem of non-payment in the housing and utilities sector, as well as measures to eliminate the shortage of personnel will also be presented at the meeting.