Moscow. 21 January 2006. The Chairman of the Management Board of RAO "UES of Russia" Anatoly Chubais today held another meeting of the Emergency Management Center* to coordinate the actions taken in the Moscow Energy System during the period of extreme cold.

According to the Emergency Management Center, on 20 January, a new peak load record of 16,200 MW was reached in the Moscow Energy System.

On 21 January, the morning peak load of 13,600 MW was recorded at 11:00. At the same time, the energy system worked stable throughout the evening (20 January) and morning (21 January) peaks of energy consumption, with no power outages. The temperature of water in the district heating networks corresponded to the weather conditions.

The reductions of electricity supply to industrial consumers in Moscow and the surrounding region totalled 440 MW; the energy saving mode was in place from 08:00 until 22:30.The supply reduction schedules had been agreed in advance with consumers, and the Governments of Moscow and the Moscow Region.

During the evening peak of 21 January, the load in the Moscow energy system is expected to be 15,000 MW. In this connection, the Centre may impose insignificant (up to 30 MW) restrictions on power supply to industrial consumers between 15:00 and 21:00 hours. These restrictions will mainly affect the enterprises receiving power from the Northern power grids of Moscow and connected to the 500 kV Beskudnikovo substation which, due to peculiarities of the local network, has been overloaded for several days. In order to prevent restrictions in power supply to social infrastructure and households in the north of Moscow and the adjacent area of the Moscow region, energy companies are planning power cuts to industrial facilities.

No power supply restrictions are expected on Sunday, 22 January.

As noted at the meeting, there will be a new spell of cold weather early next week, which will result in further increase in power consumption in Moscow and area surrounding Moscow. Besides, because of continuing cold weather, the electricity consumption between the morning and evening peaks in the Moscow energy system has not gone down.

On Saturday, the Center for coordination of actions in the Moscow energy system during the extremely cold period will work as before. The situation in the Moscow energy system remains "high-risk". Special attention is given to control and additional checks of energy equipment. The dispatching staff of the Moscow operating area are performing additional calculations of energy system operation modes so as to be able, in case of need, to more efficiently take decisions on adjusting the dispatching schedules.

___________________________________________

* The meeting was attended by top managers of the Moscow Generation Company, Moscow City Grid Company and Moscow Region Grid Company, heads of the Moscow Region's energy dispatching units, as well as key officers of the RAO UESR administrative staff, Head of the Moscow Municipal Services Directorate and First Deputy Mayor of Moscow Pyotr Aksyonov, and Minister of Utilities, Fuel and Energy of the Moscow Region Government Viktor Beshkarev, and Head of the Main Directorate of Russia's Ministry of Emergencies for the city of Moscow Aleksandr Yeliseyev.

** The deliveries of power to consumers will be reduced to the lowest possible level of consumption required for a consumer to safely complete a technological process, with advance notice given to each such consumer. These coercive measures, taken pursuant to Resolution of the Russian Government No. 664 of 1999, are designed to prevent power outages. The temporary restrictions of power supply to industrial consumers are necessary to ensure stable power supply to households, medical institutions, the city's vital infrastructure, and buildings of state authorities and security agencies.

The energy companies submitted for approval of the Fuel and Energy Department of the Moscow City and Moscow Region a list of consumers to which electricity supply would be reduced in a period of peak load in the energy system caused by prolonged abnormally low temperatures. Such consumers primarily include auxiliary facilities of industrial enterprises. The following consumers were not included in such list: social infrastructure, buildings and facilities of state authorities, medical institutions, military units, facilities of the Ministry of the Interior, Federal Security Service, nuclear centers, underground railways, etc.