Trainings in the Pushkin District of the Moscow Area: Grid Accident has been Successfully Eliminated and Terrorists Neutralized

On 23 May, the Pushkin Electric Grid District in the northern branch of JSC "MOESK" hosted the emergency team exercises (ETE), together with representatives of the executive and municipal authorities, as well as specialized agencies. Skills in emergency prevention, fire and counter-terrorism security in emergency situations were trained.

Staff cooperation ability was personally appreciated by the Minister for Energy Industry of the Moscow Area Leonid Neganov. The work of the operational staff was headed by First Deputy Director General - Chief Engineer of JSC "MOESK" Anatoly Chegodaev, he emphasized: "Training in MOESK is held regularly. The purpose of today's exercises is to train the cooperation with territorial authorities in order to minimize the recovery time for power supply to consumers in the conditions of possible process failures."

According to the exercises legend, a sharp increase in temperature (up to +35) and unauthorized operation of a construction company in the security zone of power lines led to blackouts in 58 residential settlements of the district. As a result, 24,000 people and 97 socially important facilities remained without electricity. In addition, the accident led to a halt of trains in the Krasnoarmeysky line of the Moscow Railways.

According to the instructions, the director of the branch of JSC "MOESK" Northern Electric Grids Alexey Irzhak instructed the operational staff that they must get together and introduced a special operation regime. Mobile power plants were sent to the settlements, backup power supplies were connected, and emergency repair works were arranged. Electricity supply was restored within two hours.

Moreover, during the ETE, power specialists had to repel the attack of conventional terrorists who mined the facilities in the territory of the Pushkin EGD (electric grid district). Algorithms of cooperation of the operational headquarters with the bodies of the Emergency Management Ministry, Internal Affairs Ministry and Federal Security Service of Russia were trained.

Leonid Neganov, Minister for Energy Industry of the Moscow Area summarized the ETE: "On the whole, the exercises have been successful, the objectives have been achieved. MOESK showed high class, demonstrated excellent coordination of actions. Some shortcomings in cooperation with the local authorities have been identified. That’s good that we managed to discover them in the course of the training, this will make it possible to overcome the difficulties and arrange for coordinated work in the conditions of possible emergencies."

Anatoly Chegodaev, in his turn, drew attention to the readiness of power specialists of MOESK to render full support in the conduct of such exercises, which are held annually at different production locations of the company. Training in skills in high readiness conditions are of special value: passing through peak loads, lightning and fire periods, etc.

Let us note that JSC "MOESK" performs a set of measures for trouble-free passage of the fire season every year. In addition to organizing training of staff, the supervision over operation of electrical equipment is held on a permanent basis in order to prevent landscape fires near power line routes. The priorities also include clearing of power line routes; creation of fire-mineralized strips for substations bordering with woodland; ploughing of sites around the wooden power line supports. In addition, testing of fire protection systems operation, state of access roads to water and fire hydrants, fire protection water supply channels is held. Much attention is paid to the provision of substations, divisions and brigades with primary means of fire suppression and preparedness of machinery.