At a meeting of the task force on public-private partnership development on June 28, 2011, the Innovative Development Program of JSC IDGC Holding for the period ending 2016 was introduced to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. The document had previously been agreed upon by the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
The Program is expected to result in substantially reducing production costs of electricity transmission and distribution services (over 10% by 2016) and raising the reliability of information about process failures in electricity distribution networks to 95%. An increase in workforce productivity is planned to be at least 1.5% a year (to reach industry average figures of leading foreign companies).
Additionally, IDGC Holding will introduce the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) and System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) systems into its operating subsidiaries. By 2016, SAIDI should be 60 minutes per customer and SAIFI at most two interruptions per customer per year.
It is planned that IDGC Holding’s nontariff revenue will grow to 5% (currently, less than 1%), its electrical grid companies will provide services of higher quality, and the energy efficiency and environmental safety of electricity transmission and distribution processes will be enhanced.
“We intend to achieve these objectives through the improved efficiency of utilizing network transmission capacity, the implementation of new equipment and technologies, the optimization of operating our facilities, energy audits and energy conservation measures, the development of modern electricity consumption metering systems, the use of innovative waste recycling methods, the automation of business processes, and the optimization of administrative and internal costs,” said Nikolay Shvets, Director General of IDGC Holding.
Innovations will also be introduced into IDGC Holding’s electricity distribution networks as part of participation in the Technological Platforms of the Russian Federation approved by the Governmental Commission on High Technologies and Innovations on August 3, 2010. For instance, participation is planned in the platforms Russian Smart Energy System and Small Distributed Energy.
The Russian Smart Energy System Technological Platform covers the development and commercialization of such technologies as distributed smart control systems; integrated decision-making interfaces and systems; direct current, high-temperature superconductivity, and energy storage technologies; and semiconductor devices.
The Small Distributed Energy Technological Platform will focus on creating the national scientific, technological, production, and engineering base able to encourage the large-scale design of distributed energy systems based on advanced technology and on helping platform participants become globally competitive in this area. The practical result of the platform is expected to be equipment design standardization and the design of multiversion modules for small distributed energy facilities based on separate compatible elements (different generation types, local networks, control and automation devices, or energy storage devices), which will bring about faster commercialization of innovations, minimized expenses in connection with implementing and distributing new equipment, and specialized information and service networks.
Specifically, IDGC Holding’s participation in this platform involves implementing energy storage systems (chemical, inertial, or gravitational), electricity control automation systems (microgrid), and new technologies for building local electricity networks. With a view to consolidating efforts in this area, IDGC Holding had the Scientific Department for Security in the Fuel and Energy Sector of the Academy of Military Sciences set up a task force co-headed by Dmitry Gudzhoyan, Director General of IDGC of the Center, and Alexander Kuftov, Doctor of Science (Engineering), Professor of the Gas Turbine and Nonconventional Units Department of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. The task force will submit a distributed generation concept to the IDGC Holding Scientific and Technical Council before the end of November 2011.
In general, as regards the implementation of new equipment and advanced technologies, the IDGC Holding Innovative Development Program specifies the creation of a new generation of highly integrated, actively adaptive grids (Smart Grids); the construction of high-capacity networks (based on high-temperature superconducting cables, transformers, synchronous condensers, current limiters, and superconducting inductive energy storage units); the design of conductors using new composite materials; the implementation of automated substations of all voltage classes (without permanent attending personnel); the development of automated control systems for electricity demand; and the creation of smart electricity metering systems for the retail market.
In order to carry out the Program, IDGC Holding intends to work closely with a number of Russia’s leading higher education institutions and research organizations, small and medium-sized businesses, and the Skolkovo innovation center.
IDGC Holding will spend around 31 billion rubles on research and development under the Innovative Development Program in 2011–2016.