Last year, Russian investors in renewable energy sources accelerated the commissioning of planet-friendly power plants, a report from the Russian Center for Financial Settlements (CFR) showed, Russian media reported.
According to the CFR report, in 2021, authorities launched 57 renewable energy projects (solar, wind and hydroelectric power plants) in Russia with a total capacity of 1.42 gigawatts.
The commissioning plan was overfulfilled by 151 percent, since almost half of these capacities should have been made operational in previous years, Kommersant noted. The Market Council noted that in 2021, the launch of renewable energy sources cost the energy market 76 billion rubles.
This time, only four investors delayed the commissioning – they disrupted the commissioning of six facilities with a total capacity of 291.67 megawatts in Karachay-Cherkessia, Karelia, the Stavropol Territory and the Murmansk Region.
As Kommersant explained, there are three small hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) with a total capacity of 90.7 megawatts RusHydro, EnergoMIN and Nord Hydro – White Threshold, as well as the Kola wind power plant (WPP) of Enel Russia (controlled by the Italian Enel) with a capacity of 201 megawatts.
For the last eight years, since 2014, Russian authorities have been implementing a renewable energy support program. According to CFR estimates, from 2014 to 2021, “green” power plants were launched in the country, capable of generating 3.58 gigawatts.
Russia’s total capacity of its energy system is 246.6 gigawatts, 0.5 percent of which goes to wind and solar projects. The CFR also predicted that by 2018, the volume of green power plants should be 8.36 gigawatts.
Since the start of the renewable energy support program, investors have paid 10 billion rubles in fines for not completing and disrupting the start of these facilities.
The most common reasons for delays were force majeure at construction sites, weather anomalies, and restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, Russian media noted.