The New Energy Fund is promoting its cooperation with the regions of Siberia in the area of joint study and development of the hydro potential of small rivers in the Siberian Federal District (SFD). Thus, it takes part in the session of the SFD Supreme Economic Council to present JSC RusHydro’s Small Hydro Development Program to the heads of executive and legislative authorities of Siberian regions, and representatives of business and academic communities. The Supreme Economic Council meets in Omsk under the chairmanship of Anatoly Kvashnin, plenipotentiary envoy of the RF President to the Siberian Federal District.

During the conference, the representatives of the authorities and regional business were invited to consider the main points of interaction in joint development of regional programs for small hydro development. The General Director of the New Energy Fund, Andrei Zheleznov, stressed in his speech to the participants in the event that effective implementation of investment projects for construction of small HPPs was possible only with comprehensive support from the authorities in the regions of Siberia. As essential conditions for launching regional programs, he named tax benefits, financing of infrastructure expenditures out of regional budgets, and most favored treatment in obtaining the requisite permits and approvals at the regional level.

Implementation of the small hydro development programs might resolve problems typical of many parts of Siberia. Small HPPs will help reduce the electricity shortages in hard-to-reach areas, isolated from the central power supply grid, and substantially cut fuel delivery costs through use of renewable energy resources.

The Siberian Federal District is one of the most promising regions of Russia in terms of small HPPs construction. The technical hydro potential of small Siberian rivers is estimated at 154 billion kWh allowing construction of small HPPs with an aggregate installed capacity of over 38 GW.

As of today, the New Energy Fund’s pipeline of projects contains 56 potential construction sites for small HPPs in Siberia, the installed capacity of which is estimated at 220 MW. Analysis of available information shows that the most cost-effective dam sites may be potential small HPP construction sites in Siberia.