Russian min says repairs at Vorkuta power plants on schedule

MOSCOW, Sep 6 (PRIME) -- Repairs of equipment at the Vorkutinskaya TETs-2 thermal power plant in Russia’s Komi Republic, operated by power producer T Plus, are being held in accordance with the schedule, the Energy Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

“The Energy Ministry is making maximum efforts in order that Vorkutinskiye TETs (operated by T Plus) fully fulfill obligations to repair and modernize boiler equipment at the Vorkutinskaya TETs-2 plant, which would allow it to ensure reliable power supplies in the Vorkutinsky and Intinsky energy districts in the 2016–2017 autumn-winter period… At present, repairs of equipment at the Vorkutinskaya TETs-2 are being held in accordance with monthly schedules,” the ministry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently ordered authorities to solve problems with power supplies in Vorkuta after the Komi Republic’s acting head Sergei Gaplikov complained that the local power system has not been upgraded over the past several years and its equipment is in a “critical state.” He said that T Plus transferred all the power system’s equipment to a joint stock company and decided to sell it through a public auction instead of fulfilling liabilities to upgrade and prepare it for winter.

T Plus said after that it plans to spend over 1.7 billion rubles on modernization of the Vorkuta plants by 2019.

On Monday, the police searched T Plus’ offices under a corruption case in the Komi Republic. In 2007–2014, former and current top executives of IES Holding, which has been reorganized into T Plus, gave bribes to officials in the Komi Republic for setting the best prices for heat and electric power and providing other incentives. The total sum of bribes exceeded 800 million rubles and a criminal case has been opened, the Investigative Committee’s official representative Vladimir Markin said.

T Plus CEO Boris Vainzikher and board chairman Yevgeny Olkhovik were detained on suspicion of giving bribes to the Komi Republic officials. Mikhail Slobodin, a member of T Plus’ board of directors, who is also involved in the bribery case, is currently abroad.

(64.7644 rubles – U.S. $1)

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