Improvement of Electricity Supply Reliability

In 2014, there were no man-caused emergencies and natural emergencies subject to statistical recording in compliance with the classification determined by Decree of the Russian Government No. 304 dated May 21, 2007 on Classification of Man-Caused and Natural Emergencies and Order No. 329 of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters dated July 08, 2004 on Approval of Criteria for Emergency Information.

The climate pattern of the Northwestern Federal District is defined by the geographical location in high latitudes, its long mileage both from the north to the south and from the west to the east.

For the territory of the North-West the following emergency situations are typical:

• hurricane (heavy) winds;
• low air temperatures, snowfalls with adhesion of wet snow to the wires in winter;
• spring floods (water logging by the territories during flood period);
• forest fires.

In 2014, there were no natural disasters during the period of spring floods. In the period from May to September 2014, the territories of Vologda, Pskov, Novgorod Regions, and Republic of Karelia underwent thunderheads with the gusts from 22 m/s and higher which led to the complex technological disturbances. These disturbances were eliminated by operative, emergency recovery and mobile brigades available to the Company and by effort of contracting organizations within the established period.

The regional geographical features, existence of forests and climatic conditions in the spring and summer seasons create fire hazard situation in the area of the Company’s presence: mainly in the Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Pskov, Novgorod regions, Karelia and Komi Republics, and, especially, in hard-to-reach areas. Considering the situation evolving in the constituent territories of the Region additional preventive measures are promptly taken for avoidance of forest fire development and suppression.

Considerable deterioration of power grid equipment both at JSC IDGC of the North-West and in the territorial grid organizations constitutes a threat for ensuring stability of electricity supply for economic entities and population in the serviced territories.

In order to minimize possible damage from hazard phenomena occurring in nature and technosphere, the Company timely conducts practice training for employees’ actions in emergencies and for prevention and liquidation of possible accidents and emergencies. To that end, the Company has taken the following measures:

• Operations centers for prevention and liquidation of complex technological disturbances during the work of the power grid complex were created and are now functioning.
• 36 mobile brigades, which are designated for interaction between the branches, subsidiaries and dependent entities of JSC IDGC Holding, branches of JSC FGC UPS, and 66 mobile brigades designated for interaction between production subdivisions of the Company’s branches have been created and are ready for operation.
• Standards for provision of the mobile subdivision with personnel, transportation means, tools and devices, communication means, monetary reserves have been determined.
• The procedure and periods for assembly and moving-out of the mobile subdivision to a relevant area for performance of rescue and restoration operations.
• Mobile forces and means are placed so that to ensure their most urgent arrival (delivery) to the place of performance of work and are ready to commence the performance of rescue and restoration operations within no more than 2 hours of occurrence of the event.

Emergency electricity sources (221 units) were created and are ready for operation. The emergency electricity sources are fully equipped, ready to be used and placed so that to ensure their most urgent delivery to the place of use.

Mobile lighting installations (light-towers) are fully equipped, ready to be used and placed so that to ensure their most urgent their most urgent delivery to the place of use.

The Company concluded 49 cooperation contracts (agreements) on the joint elimination of complex technological failures with contractors.

Training of the managerial human resources of emergency response and mobile brigades was performed in the course of joint exercise with the Regional headquarters for provision of electricity supply safety, territorial executive agencies and local authorities, housing and utilities infrastructure organizations, subdivisions of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, contracting organizations, consumers. A total of 17 trainings was conducted.

The conducted exercises and training demonstrated high standards of professional knowledge of the Company’s managerial and command personnel, management bodies in preparation of materials and making reasoned decisions for liquidation of possible emergency situations; the staff of freelance emergency rescue teams (FERT) have high preparedness and ability to the actions in emergency situations.

In accordance with Federal Law No. 28-FZ on Civil Defense dated February 12, 1998 and Decree of the Russian Government No. 1340 on the Procedure for Creation and Utilization of Material Resources Reserves for Liquidation of Man-Made and Natural Emergencies dated November 10, 1996, the Company has formed the reserve of material and financial resources.

A material and technical base with storehouses, depots and open platforms, containers sufficient for acceptance, storage and keeping of material resources designated for liquidation of emergencies and industrial needs is created in the Company. Formation of emergency stock is performed through purchases of materials and equipment transfer of materials specified in the project during reconstruction or new construction of facilities as well as reutilization of dismantled equipment. Annual inventory of emergency stock is carried out. The actions for liquidation of emergencies are financed from the Company’s financial reserves with further execution of necessary documentation and reimbursement of material damage to insurance company according to the contracts signed.

The principle directions of organization of work for maintaining of distribution power grid facilities of the Company required for stable functioning of the economy and survival of the population in emergencies in 2014 were:

• improvement of systems for notification, control and informing about emergency situations, implementation of centralized alarming systems;
• training of the managerial human resources to work in emergency situations and instructing the staff about safety performance and operational procedure when emergency situation occurs;
• equipping freelance emergency rescue teams (FERT) with devices of radiation, chemical and biological protection and radiation control;
• accumulation of individual respiratory and skin protection equipment;
• arrangement of medical supervision and control over the personnel’s health status;
• conduct of exercises and trainings on actions in emergency situations with management bodies, FERT and personnel;
• fire precaution measures and physical security of activities;
• preparation of forces and means of localization of accidents and emergency situations;
• reconstruction and construction of power grid facilities, including OL-10-0.4kV; CL-10-0.4 kV; transformer SS;
• extension of the fleet of emergency power sources;
• acquisition of new high capacity special engineering equipment.

In the structural subdivisions of the Company, commissions for increase of stability of functioning of energy facilities have been established. Schedule-plans for extension of measures for increase of stability of energy facilities were formed.

Measures to ensure accident-free operation of facilities (including in emergencies) and maintain a stable functioning of organizations, system of provision of the population in emergencies were taken.

Programs and scientific research studies in the field of maintaining stable functioning of the energy facilities in emergencies were developed and implemented.

The on-duty operating services were equipped with modern means of communication and notification and their 24-hour operation was organized.

In the reporting period, training of management bodies and forces of Civil Defense and Emergency Situations Response, increase of their readiness, mobility and level of equipment with modern technical means and technologies of performance of rescue and restoration and other urgent work, including provision of modern equipment and instruments, was conducted in accordance with the plan and relevant regulations and normative and legal documents.

The Company carries out a number of measures designed for prevention of emergencies and technological disturbances, in particular:

• monitoring of environment in the power grid complex and forecasting of appearance of complex technological, disasters and emergency situations;
• systematic analysis of emergency situations and complex technological disturbances in order to define possible reasons of their appearance and the character of their development;
• prevention of some adverse and dangerous acts of nature and disasters to the possible extent by systematic reducing their destructive potential (icing, accumulation of snow at supports by hillsides, etc.);
• systematic increase of technological safety of operating processes and equipment performance reliability;
• development and execution of engineering and technical measures (generation of spare parts and materials in the right quantity, engineering arrangements, etc.);
• conduct of exercises, trainings, maneuver;
• arrangement of global interaction with all entities of the power industry;
• conducting both regular and sampling audits and inspections of equipment operability, including standby facilities;
• timely execution of repair work for damaged equipment;
• taking actions on equipping and preparing of rescue and restoration brigades aimed at reduction of notification and assembly time and assurance of performance of tasks for liquidation of technological disturbances within the period specified by the requirements of JSC FGC UPS and JSC IDGC Holding.

The Company developed measures, the implementation of which will help to minimize the risks of accidents and mass technological failures in the power grid complex, and to reduce the time of rescue and recovery operations:

• A comprehensive program was developed aimed to improve the HVL forest corridors up to the standards, which provides for required expansion of forest corridors in 2013-2017. Moreover, a number of the Company’s branches revised the annual volume of clearing forest corridors upwards.
• Schedule charts were developed to replenish branches with all-terrain and special vehicles, communications equipment, mobile lighting units, emergency sources of power supplies, etc.
• The Company revised the list of socially important facilities located in the area of the Company’s operational responsibility with contact information on responsible person and heads of local administrations for emergency information to be used in case of technological failures in the power grids.
• Updated information on contractors with which the Company signed contracts (agreements) for carrying out rescue and recovery operations at the power grid facilities.
• Together with the EMERCOM of Russia, city administrations and executive bodies of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the Company conducted joint exercises in cooperation on the response to emergencies and threats of a power failure in specific periods.
• The Company designed, equipped and prepared for use mobile units designed for rescue and recovery operations.
• JSC IDGC of the North-West has 221 power supply emergency sources with a total capacity of more than 40.5 MVA. The emergency electricity sources are fully equipped, ready to be used and placed so that to ensure their most urgent delivery to the place of use. Connection schemes are designed.
• The Company organized work of Headquarters on the prevention and elimination of technical failures of the Company’s power grid complex, its subsidiaries and production departments.
• Trainings were organized to improve the efficiency of staffs in emergency response situations.
• The Company organizes interaction and work of the heads of branches in the Regional Headquarters to ensure the security of electricity supply.
• The Company organized cooperation in the rescue and recovery operations and concluded contracts and agreements on cooperation with a subsidiary of JSC Russian Grids, North-West Regional Center of the EMERCOM of Russia, contracting organizations and territorial divisions of the EMERCOM, Roshydromet, airlines, government agencies and local governments.
• It developed and enacted Regulations on Mobile Units of JSC IDGC of the North-West.
• The Company has generated and is maintaining DZ emergency response passports.