Improving reliability

Improving Reliability as a Strategic Priority

Ensuring reliable electricity supply to our consumers is one of our priorities. Maintaining a high level of reliable power supply to customers is established as a strategic goal by the Long-Term Programme for the Development of Federal Grid Company, and an action plan is implemented annually in order to achieve this goal. The Company has been increasing the reliability of its grids by installing new equipment and improving its personnel’s skills and professionalism.

Question for V. Dikoy - Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, Chief Engineer, Member of Federal Grid Company’s Management Board

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IN 2015, THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS AT THE COMPANY’S FACILITIES DECREASED BY 17.3% AS COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR. WHAT ACTIONS HELP THE COMPANY TO IMPROVE THE RELIABILITY OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY TO CUSTOMERS EVERY YEAR?

“The continuous improvement of reliability is the result of our comprehensive approach to this strategic objective.

First, repairs at UNEG facilities are organised and planned in accordance with all the established regulatory and technical requirements that are effective in Federal Grid Company, and with due regard of the actual technical condition of equipment, local conditions and track record of operation.

Second, the Company carries out pinpoint upgrade of facilities and modernisation of equipment by installing units that have better technical characteristics and ensure higher reliability, including units in the schemes of capacity delivery from generation facilities.

Third, the Company is able to respond promptly and professionally to any possible emergencies and liquidate the aftermath of accidents if they occur. The Company’s specialists conduct a mandatory review of causes and develop actions to prevent such disturbances in the future.

Fourth Federal Grid Company has a holistic system for the preparation of facilities for operation during “special periods,” i.e. during thunderstorms, fires, river floods, and in the autumn/winter period. It enters into cooperative agreements with contractors, RosHydroMet, Ministry of Emergency Situations and grid distribution companies to collaborate and conduct repair and recovery work.

Fifth, the Company has been steadily developing the competencies of repairs and diagnostics employees by arranging training for them by the leading training centres and producers of equipment, as well as by the Company’s Personnel Training Centres.”

In 2015, we continued to take regular efforts to reduce the accident rate. The accident rate has been declining over the past five years.

The quality of our operations is supported by the annual decrease of the accident rate over the past three years by 18% on average. In the reporting year, accident rate at Federal Grid Company’s facilities decreased by 22% compared to 2014, while the volume of services (number of electrical equipment items) continues to increase (by 6% in 2015).

Undersupply is an important characteristic of sustainable electricity supply to our customers. In 2015, it decreased by more than twofold as compared to the previous year.

Total Accidents at Federal Grid Company’s Facilities

Accident Rate at Federal Grid Company’s Facilities (number of accidents per 1,000 units in operation)

Undersupply of Electricity by Federal Grid Company, MWh

Fixed Assets Renovation Programme

The Fixed Assets Renovation Programme is aimed at ensuring the reliable and efficient functioning of the electric grid complex via re-equipment. The renovation programme was included in the Company’s Investment Programme for 2015–2020 approved by the Orders of the Russian Ministry of Energy No. 979 and 980 dated 18.12.2015.

The draft of the Renovation Programme for 2015– 2020 stipulates commissioning of facilities with a total capacity of 11,452 MVA, reconstruction of 331.5 kilometres of transmission lines, and financing of RUB 118.2 billion.

For 2016, the Renovation Programme envisages commissioning of 2,033 MVA of capacity for the total amount of RUB 16.7 billion.

Repairs Programme

The Repairs Programme aims to provide technical maintenance and repairs at Federal Grid Company’s power facilities in order to ensure that equipment of substations and high-voltage lines is in good working conditions, that there are no accidents during the autumn/winter period and to ensure reliable operation of UNEG as a whole.

In 2015, Federal Grid Company fully implemented all planned measures scheduled for maintenance and repairs at its power facilities:

• We repaired 215 phases of transformer equipment, 19 phases of reactors, 14,448 phases of disconnectors, 2,191 on-/off switches, and about 10,270 supports for high-voltage transmission lines
  
• РWe cleared 43,400 hectares of high-voltage electricity transmission line paths
  
• We replaced 125,917 insulators at high-voltage lines

Operational Process Control

Operational process control in the Company is aimed at ensuring the reliable operation of the UNEG facilities and adhering to the operating modes that are set by the System Operator’s control centres. Our objective is to comply with the quality and safety requirements when we operate the UNEG facilities.

Operational process control in Federal Grid Company addresses the following main issues:

• To ensure proper quality and safety in the operations of UNEG facilities
  
• To ensure effective work of the unified system for training of operational personnel
  
• To minimise the number of process disturbances related to operating employee errors
  
• To contribute to the drafting and implementation of the UNEG development programmes in co-operation with the System Operator’s dispatch centres
  
• To plan and implement measures that ensure repairs, commissioning, modernisation and renovation of UNEG facilities
  
• To liquidate process disturbances in UNEG
  
• To make schedules for accident-caused restrictions on electricity consumption and impose accidentcaused restrictions for teams of the System Operator’s dispatch centres
  
• To connect grid facilities and customers’ energy receivers to automatic emergency response systems

Situational management is closely linked to the operational process control framework and addresses the following tasks:

• Controls operational environment and implementation of actions related to response and mobilisation of staff and resources in cases of contingency and emergency
  
• Controls the organisation, timelines and process of emergency recovery work at UNEG facilities
  
• Promptly analyses dangerous natural phenomena to see whether there are risks to interrupt reliable operation of UNEG facilities
  
• Organises information sharing with the situation centres of subsidiaries and affiliates of Rosseti, regional offices of the fuel and energy companies, Ministry of Emergency Situations, RosHydroMet, RZD, telecommunications companies and others
  
• Provides methodological guidance; organises and oversees Federal Grid Company’s duty teams
  
• Forecasts evolution of natural, technology-related and anthropogenic situations that might disrupt the reliable operation of electric grid facilities

Number of Process Disturbances Caused by Employee Errors

Rate of Process Disturbances Caused by Operating Employee Errors

Outage Schedule Implementation Rate

Operation during Special Periods

Weather and climatic conditions make a strong impact on Federal Grid Company’s operations. Therefore, we prepare electric grid equipment and facilities in advance for operation under low temperatures and peak loads occurring during the autumn/winter period and in case of natural anomalies during periods of river floods, fires and thunderstorms. These are called “special periods” in our operation.

No major disturbances in UNEG operations were reported in 2015. The power system facilities operated as usual, including operations during river floods, thunderstorms and fires.

The total number of process disturbances decreased markedly in the autumn/winter period of 2014–2015 as compared to the previous years, both at substations and electricity transmission lines. The number of accidents caused by errors or wrong actions of employees has also decreased.

In 2015, river floods in most Russian regions were moderate. The situation was rather tense only in three regions, i.e. in the Far East, Western Siberia and South. There were no interruptions in electricity transmission due to actions that had been taken in advance, work of the river floods commissions, and regular inspections of places where power facilities could be flooded.

Besides, the Company employees prevented major interruptions in the operations of the power supply facilities during forest fires that began in the spring in the Siberian Federal District. During the emergency situation in this period the Company closely cooperated with the regional governments, Ministry of Emergency Situations, hydro-meteorological services and power companies of the regional distribution grid system. Efforts had been taken in advance in order to reduce the likelihood of PTL disconnections because of brush-wood fires; dry wood had been removed in a timely way; and fire break ploughing had been made.

On 12 November 2015, the Commission of the Russian Ministry of Energy issued a certificate confirming the Company’s readiness for operation during the 2015–2016 autumn/winter period.