Vladimir Ryabikin, General Director of IDGC of Volga, PJSC and Valery Radaev, Governor of the Saratov Region, signed an agreement on strategic cooperation in the electric power industry. The benchmark for interaction between the electric grid company and the regional government has been chosen to create modern conditions for the dynamic development of the electric grid infrastructure, increasing the level of reliability of electricity supply to consumers, the economic attractiveness of the region and the implementation of the tasks set by the Russian government.

 An important point of the interaction of the parties will be the solution of the problem of digital grid transformation, providing for technical re-equipment and modernization of the electric grid infrastructure, determining the vector for the widespread use of modern digital technologies in the construction and reconstruction of power facilities.

The Saratov region has become one of the regions where the pilot innovative project of IDGC of Volga will be implemented to create the first digital substation in the region. The platform for the implementation of technical solutions that support digital data exchange between devices with the ability to integrate into a single management information system will be 110/10 kV Sazanley substation in the Balakovsky district of the Saratov region.

 In addition, a program of switching to smart metering of electric power with automated data collection is being actively implemented in the region. In 2019, power engineers plan to install more than 21,000 smart meters. The transition to the digital format of the power grid complex will increase the observability of the grid, will ensure the growth of reliability of power supply. The digitization of the energy infrastructure will be the impetus for the development of the economy and the growth of the region’s investment attractiveness.