JSC “MOESK” is Ready to Ensure Reliable Power Supply of Consumers in Conditions of Unfavorable Seasonal Climatic Factors

In accordance with the decisions of the operational staff for ensuring trouble-free power supply to consumers in the Moscow Area territory, the commissions for EM and FS (emergency management and fire safety) of the Moscow Area under the Moscow Area Governor on 27.03, JSC “Moscow United Electric Grid Company” held a meeting of the company’s commission for EM and FS on the topic: “On readiness to spring floods and early preparation of transmission facilities for the fire season in 2013 in order to ensure reliable power supply in forest fires and passage of storm fronts.”

The event, arranged on the basis of the Kolomna EGD (electric grid district) of the Eastern Electric Grids, a branch of JSC “MOESK”, was chaired by Vsevolod Ivanov, Deputy Technical Director for operational and technical management, head of the Grids Control Center, with participations of Andrey Miridonov, Deputy Technical Director for distribution grids; Alexey Ryabukhin, head of the emergency response and restoration division; Sergey Kurbakov, head of mobilization training, civil defense and emergency management, and chief engineers and specialists in the areas of the capital and regional branches of the company.

The meeting was attended by: Oleg Andreev, chief of the management of the regional security administration of the Kolomna Municipal District; Boris Kuznetsov, deputy chief of the management of the regional security administration of the Kolomna Municipal District; Vladimir Chichulin, head of the civil defense and emergency management of the Lukhovitsy Municipal District.

S.A. Kurbakov delivered a statement of information “On results of implementation of the Decision of the Emergency Situations Prevention and Liquidation and Fire Safety Commission of JSC “MOESK” dd. 25.12.2012.

The meeting agenda included three main issues: “On the status of electric grid facilities of the branches of JSC “MOESK” to complete the operation in the autumn and winter period 2012/2013”, "On readiness of the government, forces and resources of JSC “MOESK” for provision of sustainable and reliable operation of electric gird facilities during the flood”, “On the need to take measures in advance to ensure safe operation of transmission facilities during the spring grassland fires, during passage of storm fronts and in the event of creation of threat of forest fires.”

It followed from the reports of branches’ chief engineers that as a whole the Company’s power specialists successfully coped with the tasks to ensure electricity supply, which is safe and of proper quality, in peak loads of autumn-winter 2012-2013.

Andrey Miridonov, Deputy Technical Director for distribution grids participated in discussion of the second issue of the agenda. He gave a detailed report on the actions prepared in the Company to reduce risks of the effects of spring floods, and noted that according to statistics, flood damage 4-5 times exceeded the damage as a result of other natural disasters. Focusing on the features of the spring of 2013, Andrey Borisovich stressed that the snow stocks were larger than those during many previous years, and weather forecasters predicted early floods. In this connection, the level of water rise may exceed the average values of 0.5 - 1.0 m. In this regard, the company’s energy specialists face the main goal - to make every effort to ensure uninterrupted power supply to consumers, and to ensure safety of energy equipment. The report highlighted the issues of arrangement of inspection and restoration of protection around transformers, oil facilities and other facilities, which are the sources of pollution, the availability of the necessary reserve of materials needed to repair intra-plant road surface. It also told about readiness of the stock of mobile electric plants and other special equipment, arrangement of round-the-clock duty of crews of the emergency response and restoration division and plans of cooperation with local emergency response authorities and other entities.

All the speakers who took part in discussion of this issue of the agenda, stated their problems and bottlenecks during passing the flood season, and dwelled upon the measures taken to reduce the risks of social importance.

A comprehensive report on readiness of the branch “Eastern Electric Grids” for passage of the flood season was delivered by Alexander Yurtayev, deputy director-chief engineer of EEG. He noted that the territory of the eastern branch was the most vulnerable to such climatic events, and according to the many-years monitoring, the risk zone included a significant amount of energy facilities if EEG, the list of which was drawn up and approved.

According to Alexander Vasil’yevich, currently EEG have developed and implemented a set of measures to reduce the effects from exposure to flood. They include not only technical support of energy facilities with special equipment and preventive technological measures, but also well-established close cooperation with relevant local authorities in problem areas. These are, first of all, the Lukhovitsy, Kolomna, Pavlov-Posad, Orekhovo-Zuyevo Districts and the city of Reutov. Significant space in the report was given to the problem which appeared in Reutov, where substation #212 “Vostochnaya” may run the risk of flooding. The importance of the energy facility consists in the fact that the substation is a major feeding center not only of consumers in Reutov, but also the surrounding district of Moscow – the Southern Izmaylovo. The difficult situation developed because of low transmission capacity of storm water drain system and insufficient defouling of the corridor of the Serebrianka river, through which the main part of flood and surface meltwater is discharged. Currently, energy specialists of EEG have held a series of activities to prevent the threat of flooding the energy facility, meetings with the leadership of the city have been held, during which joint proactive actions were agreed upon.

Taking part in discussion of the third issue of the agenda, speakers stressed the importance of implementation of all planned activities in full, which will significantly reduce the risk of possible technological failures related with threats of forest fires. Including, significant attention in the branches is paid to large-scale replacement of wire by new self-supporting insulated wire (SSIW), creation of fire isolation zones around the substation area. The report stressed importance of arrangement of cooperation for prompt informing on the fire situation with the heads of business entities in the territory of the Moscow Area and neighboring territories.

Based on the results of the commission’s meeting, a decision was passed, one of the clauses of which dwelled upon the assignment given to A.V. Yurtaev, Chairman of the emergency response and fire safety commission - Deputy Director - Chief Engineer of the Eastern Electric Grids (a branch of JSC “MOESK”) that he shall plan and carry out emergency response and fire prevention training in the field of disaster management in a fire-hazardous period related to the process disturbances at energy equipment of the Eastern Electric Grids – a branch of JSC “MOESK”, together with the Energy Industry Ministry of the Moscow Area, territorial authorities of the Emergency Management Ministry, local self-government authorities, state government bodies of the Moscow Area.