On the 2nd of March IDGC Holding and Electricité Réseau Distribution France (ERDF, France) signed a Cooperation Agreement at the Russian and French Business Forum organized in Paris by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in the scope of an official visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to France. The document was signed by Nikolay Shvets, Director General of IDGC Holding, and Marc Espalieu, ERDF’s Deputy Director General for Finance and Strategy. Aleksandr Shokhin, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, took part in the ceremony.

The agreement captures arrangements previously reached between the leading Russian and French electric grid companies on such issues as design, operation, repair and upgrade of electric distribution grids; rate policy in electricity transportation and distribution; investments; asset management and training of electric distribution grid staff drawing on best global practices. The parties are planning a systemic exchange of information and technologies in each area.

The signing of the agreement logically ensued from two rounds of negotiations held over the last six months between IDGC Holding and ERDF in Moscow and in Paris. The parties believe that this event will become a milestone in the international energy cooperation between Russian and France.

In his speech at the signing ceremony, Nikolay Shvets, Director General of IDGC Holding, emphasized the importance of developing cooperation with the leading French electric grid company, all the more so that it starts in the Year of Russia in France and the Year of France in Russia. Among the areas of partnership relations, Nikolay Shvets highlighted such areas as sharing experience in building “intelligent networks”; integration of renewable energy sources into the distribution grid system; maintenance of electric grid equipment under public private partnership agreements; interaction with municipalities in supplying power to localities and retail consumers; development of an asset management system; minimization of losses and reactive power compensation.

Nikolay Shvets also attaches high importance to the development of mutually beneficial contacts between Russian and French higher education institutions specialized in training staff for leading electric utility businesses.