Moscow, 15 August 2006. Today the Kuban RDA, the dispatching center of the UES System Operator in the Krasnodar Kray, announced a "high-risk" situation in the regional energy system, which means a special procedure imposing an obligation on the dispatching staff, in the event of a complicated situation in the energy system, to carry out organizational and technological measures aimed at increasing the UES reliability.

This procedure was introduced because of the abnormally hot weather observed in the South of Russia for the past few weeks. The heat wave resulted in an increased load on the energy system, especially the high-voltage lines and oil-filled equipment at transformer substations. During the holiday season, the power consumption in the Krasnodar Kray increases tremendously. Over the first fourteen days of August, the electricity consumption in the Kuban Energy System reached a new record level of 698.6 million kWh, an increase of 12% in year-on-year terms.

It should be noted that in summer, electricity consumption in the UES of Russia is on average 70-75% of the winter level, while the daytime power use in the Kuban Energy System is nearly the same as in winter.

The situation is further complicated by the more frequent forest fires, including in the areas where transmission lines are located, which may potentially lead to loss of power. In order to ensure stable operation of the power grids, the Southern Transmission Grids, a subsidiary of OAO "Federal Grid Company", is taking steps to address the issue. Specifically, it is carrying out vegetation management activities near power transmission lines, and has worked out schemes for announcement and communication to fire fighting units, Services of the Russian Ministry of Emergencies, territorial forestries, and local authorities.

Under the internal rules of RAO "UES of Russia", the high-risk situation declared in the Kuban Energy System requires the regional energy companies to tighten control over the electrical equipment and carry out its unscheduled inspections of the equipment, as well as bring back on line, as soon as practicable, the capacity currently under repair in order to meet the increased demand. Also, a ban is imposed on scheduled activities involving the change of operational status of power transmission lines, and mobilizing the reserves to load (unload) the generation capacity at the power plants in the Kuban Energy System.

Previously, the high-risk situation was introduced in January 2006 in the Moscow Energy System during the spell of extreme cold in the area. Most power plants, grid facilities and dispatching units of RAO "UES of Russia" were switched to an "enhanced" regime of operation to ensure reliable and uninterrupted power to consumers.