Pavel Livinskiy, Director General of PJSC Rosseti, held a working meeting with Anton Alikhanov, Governor of the Kaliningrad Region. The progress of the five-year Program for Overhauling and Development of Electric Power Grids in the region, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020, was considered during the meeting. At its final stage, the Program provides for completing the overhaul of 97 km of 0.23 kV power grids in Kaliningrad — with conversion to standard voltage class of 0.4 kV — as well as five 110/15 kV substations: Ladushkin, Slavsk, Polessk, Ozerki, and Bagrationovsk”.

The power facilities are being equipped with modern power and switching technology along with introducing modern processes. The capacity of power supply centers will increase by almost 60% (by 50.8 ÌVÀin total), which will allow for connecting new consumers. Information regarding the substation parameters will be transmitted via digital channels to the Grid Control Center of Rosseti Yantar and to the dispatch center of a branch of the system operator of the Unified Energy System of the Baltic Regional Dispatch Office. Besides, the equipment remote control function will be implemented.

The program for overhauling and development of power grids in the Kaliningrad Region is the most ambitious one nationwide in terms of the scope of activities and the amount of funding (over 22.17 billion rubles). Since 2016, about 1.5 thousand km of power transmission lines have been built and overhauled; eight 110/15 kV substations have been constructed and revamped (with the total capacity of 346 ÌVÀ), including with the application of digital technology. Russia’s first digital regions of electric grids have been created, and this successful experience is being scaled throughout Russia.

Rosseti Yantar participated both in the power delivery of four new thermal power plants (Pregolskaya, Talakhovskaya, Mayakovskaya, and Primorskaya) and in the power supply to the 2018 FIFA World Cup facilities. The facilities of the Chernyakhovsk Industrial Park have been connected to the power grids; the electric power supply to consumers of the Curonian Spit has been provided from the regional power system.

The region is unique in terms of the implementation pace of smart metering devices. 108,906 devices have been installed already, covering 76% of metering points. On July 1, 2020, Federal Law No. 22-FZ came into force, under which the entire responsibility for electricity metering is vested with the companies and the last resort suppliers. The load on consumers has been completely removed. After January 1, 2022, last resort suppliers and power grid companies will be obliged to install only smart metering devices.

According to Pavel Livinskiy, “Rosseti set the task of creating an exemplary power system in the Kaliningrad Region. Digital transformation is the priority. Impressive results are already achieved: grid losses in the Region are virtually the lowest ones in the country. Projects are being implemented that create prerequisites for social and economic development for 50 to 60 years ahead. The overhaul of five key power supply centers will be completed by the end of the current year. Introducing digital technology will increase the reliability of power supply to cities and towns with a total population exceeding 100 thousand people.”

Anton Alikhanov highlighted that “The modern grid infrastructure is a basic condition for attracting investment to the Region, developing the economy, and creating new jobs. Energy security and energy system independence are also important factors for Kaliningrad. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Rosseti through the successful testing of its operation in an isolated mode. In general, we see a real effect of the Company’s projects: energy has become more reliable and more affordable.”