Power engineers of Orelenergo are ready for the autumn-winter period (AWP) 2011/12

On December 19 in the executive office of IDGC of Centre — Orelenergo division a press conference for representatives of regional and regional print and electronic media was held. The topic of the meeting, which was conducted by Orelenergo division Director Alexander Letyagin and Chief Engineer Alexander Nemtsev with journalists, — was the readiness of the division for operations at maximum load in the winter period.

Alexander Letyagin noted that the main direction of preparation of Orelenergo for AWP was the full implementation of the program of repairs of electrical grid facilities, which was based on assessment of technical conditions, failures and risks of the electric grid. This fundamentally new approach to creating a maintenance campaign allowed for more efficient use of resources to perform more work at those facilities, which the reliability of power supply in the region with maximum load depend on. Please, be reminded that on October 21, 2011 IDGC of Centre — Orelenergo division received its certificate of readiness #7 for operations during the autumn-winter period. In general, for 11 months 300 million rubles have been spent on the preparation for operations of electric grid facilities in peak loads within the investment program and 60.6 million rubles have been disbursed for the repair program.

For 11 months of the current year Orelenergo has overhauled five 35-110 kV power transformers, which supply electricity to Zheleznodorozhny district of the city of Orel and major settlements in Orel, Livensky, Mtsensky and Znamesky districts of the region, where a total of 125 thousand people reside. Power engineers have performed a comprehensive overhaul of six 35-110 kV substations, which ensured reliable electricity supply to 460,000 customers of the city of Orel and the region. 1220 kilometers of power lines have been renovated. Power engineers have replaced 45 kilometers of bare aluminum wire with safe self-supporting insulated wire in the territory of 94 schools in the region.

Much attention is paid by power engineers of the division to ROWs clearing, creating trouble-free routes of overhead lines passing. For 11 months 807 hectares of ROWs of 0,4-110 kV power lines have been cleared and expanded, that is 104% of the year’s plan.

“Specialists of Orel division of IDC Center made significant emphasis on preparing the electric grid to operate in extreme conditions, based on the experience of last winter. In order to improve efficiency in the liquidation of emergency situations and the reliability of electricity supply the lists of increased mobility crews to work in 0,4-110 kV grid have been updated in Orelenergo”, — stressed Deputy Director for Technical Issues — Chief Engineer of Orelenergo Alexander Nemtsev.

Crews are equipped with vehicles, machinery and devices needed for the production of any complex work when troubleshooting outages. The division is equipped with an emergency reserve of materials and equipment, and staff with winter special clothing, footwear and personal protective equipment. Staff of mobile crews has had theoretical and practical training on the specifics of operation at low temperatures.

In addition, the division has entered into an agreement with the authorities of all districts of the region on interaction and provision of (moving) standby power sources. Now there are 8 diesel power stations (DPS) in Orelenergo (a fixed station to ensure the smooth operation of the Grid Control Centre and 7mobile ones). At this point the division has decided to purchase 43 diesel power stations for the emergency stock of Orelenergo within the target program of IDGC of Centre. At the moment, the delivery of equipment required by electricians has begun to ensure trouble-free operations during the period of maximum load: 8 DPS have been purchased and delivered to the Districts of Electrical Networks.

The division has set up and successfully operate five stations for monitoring icing in Mtsensky, Livensky, Dolzhansky, Kolpnyansky and Maloarkhangelsky Districts of Electrical Networks, where the maximum coating of ice on the wires was observed in the region in the past year.

All these activities increase the reliability of the electric grid of Orelenergo in peak winter loads and implement the main task of power engineers of IDGC of Center — uninterrupted electricity supply to consumers in the region where the Company operates.