Vitaly Korolev: FAS intends that consumers obtain an integrated product to get resources
Deputy Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service discussed measures in technological connection to the electric power supply that enabled the Russian Federation to get to the 29 position in the Doing Business ranking
Deputy Head of FASVitaly Korolev was a speaker at the “Increasing accessibility of the energy infrastructure: from metropolitan cities’ experience to the new standards for Russia” session of Russian Investment Forum in Sochi.
It was pointed out that in the current economic situation enhancing accessibility of the energy infrastructure is getting increasingly important for business as well for the state in general.
Thanks to the ongoing efforts towards improving the regulatory framework and implementing the “Road Map” on enhancing accessibility of the energy infrastructure, Russia was able to move 135 points up in the international World Bank ranking - Doing Business – on the indicator of accessibility of connecting to the electric power supply system (the 29th position).
According to Vitaly Korolev, this indicator is an accumulative effect of the processes started in 2004.
“For instance, in December 2004 Russia for the first time adopted the Rules for non-discriminatory access to the services on electric power transmission and technological connection. This is the first milestone in the new development of the electric power industry in Russia”, added Deputy Head of FAS. “The next stage of development was approving the Plan in 2011 to ensure accessibility and make cheaper technological connection for all categories of the population and now all those measures enabled such a significant advancement in the ranking”.
“Accessibility of technological connection for consumers is an important task. And it is in the electric power industry that the Russian Federation has achieved the most advancement: a consumer approaches a grid company and as a result gets a power supply contract. The Antimonopoly Service ensures the fact that there will be no imposing of services. If a consumer does not want to obtain a service from the provider of last resort, the consumer indicates the market participant from whom he wants to obtain it”, explained Vitaly Korolev.
“Thus, at the time of technological connection the consumer receives a full package of services, offering everything and immediately, and a grid company gets a consumer that that does not have non-contractual consumption”, emphasized Vitaly Korolev.
Deputy Head of FAS also covered support to small and medium business. As specified at the session, technological connection for a consumer can be practically free-of-charge, but later an individual tariff should be set for the consumer.
“Earlier FAS already proposed this mechanism. Thus, consumers have a choice: either get fringe benefits entering the market and then the tariff will be high, or a consumer pays for full connection and then gets a tariff together with all market participants. It is expedient to implement the tariffs if grid companies are prepared to fulfill the so-called “bank function”, when they credit consumers due to a higher tariff and get back repayment”, concluded Vitaly Korolev.
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The event attendees included:
Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, Alexander Novak
Governor of the Murmansk region, Marina Kovtun
President of “OPORA Russia” All-Russian NGO of small and medium business, Alexander Kalinin
General Director of the Russian Direct Investments Fund, Kirill Dmitriev
Deputy Board Chairman, “Gazprom” PJSC, Valery Golubev
General Director, Board Chairman, “Rosset” PJSC, Oleg Budargin
Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company, Stepan Solzhenitsyn.