The economy Ministry submitted to colleagues in the government’s updated energy efficiency plan, presenting a new target of reducing GDP energy intensity by 2030 — 35% from 2017 due to modern technologies in energy, transport and utilities. Experts generally welcomed the new document, noting on the one hand, the slowness of the authorities in achieving the objectives, on the other — the emergence of the efficient saving tools and practical opportunities for their application.The updated energy efficiency plan (there is a “b”) is another attempt of the Ministry of economy to revive the topic in the Russian political and economic context. The law on energy efficiency was adopted in 2009 and ordered the reduction of energy intensity of Russian GDP by 40% by 2020, but in 2015 budget support of energy efficiency projects was curtailed (see “Kommersant” on 19 December, 2014) and the money redirected to the development of football infrastructure and support single-industry towns. By 2017, the authorities acknowledged that the goal will likely not be achieved, at the same time, the Ministry of economy (having received these powers from the Ministry of energy) developed the first version of the new plan. In December 2019, the Ministry of economy acknowledged that “over the past ten years the energy intensity of GDP decreased by only 9%, and in the last four years, it is not reduced” (see “Kommersant” on January 15).As explained “Kommersant” in the Ministry of economy, a new plan was prepared with the participation of agencies, regions, and business and expert communities and is focused primarily on “promoting energy efficiency in most energy intensive sectors of the economy and the budget sector”. The plan is synchronized with the strategy of long-term low-carbon development should be the main tool to achieve climate objectives of the Russian Federation on the “basic scenario” (see “Kommersant” on March 23). New goal for Russia in the area of reducing energy intensity by 2030 — 35% energy intensity reduction from a level of 2017 as a whole (or about 42% of the 2009 level), more than half of the effect (20%) will provide the technological factor. “The renewal of the economy with the implementation of energy efficient technologies, in our opinion, should be the key driver for the implementation of the accumulated potential energy savings”, commented after the release of the material, Deputy economic development Minister Ilya Hummocks. The plan includes six blocks of activities in the electric power, industrial, energy efficient materials, housing, heating and transport, a separate public sector. The “zero” phase of the plan — the introduction of a 100% instrumental recording (including automatic gathering evidence). The main instrument in the energy sector called “modernization of generating facilities”, including the introduction of highly efficient combined-cycle�� technologies in power plants and the promotion of cogeneration. The plan also proposes the addition of BREFs and regulations of the EEU ultimate energy efficiency upgrade requirements for materials, overhaul and new construction of apartment buildings, promotion of supply and demand in the market of energy efficient housing (the housing sector in Russia consumes about 17% of primary energy, with more than half of apartment houses energy inefficient and only a third of the new classes have a high energy efficiency), reduction of losses in heat networks, updating of Park of buses and trucks. Finally, the plan includes a number of proposals to develop green financing, including through tools for energy, preferential loans, government support for energy-efficient products and technologies.Experts point out that in the process of working on the plan, the economy managed to make it more detailed and qualitative but indicates the possibility of reducing the number of items in the process of coordination with agencies, and forgotten in the process by requiring banks with state participation join the struggle for saving through the standardization of green financial instruments.Angelina Davydovskyy apparatus of the state Duma Committee on energy, Alexander Fadeev (previously was in charge of the subject in the Ministry of construction) characterizes the new plan as “more detailed and quality”, including the binding to concrete results, new goals, and global trends, it is possible, however, that the document will cause the Ministry of construction “the desire to remove a number of items”. Senior analyst, energy Centre of Moscow school of management SKOLKOVO Yuri Melnikov does not rule out that there is a risk of “drying up” plan in coordination with the agencies, particularly in matters of economic efficiency. A member of profile working group of the expert Council at the Ministry of economy Maria Stepanova noted as positive factors, “integration with other areas and instruments of government policy, PDM, NDT, tariffs”, as well as a greater number of direct prohibitions and requirements than in previous versions. “An obvious departure from the traditional prioritization of “first — budget sector and bulbs”,”— said Yuri Melnikov.Director of the Research center for energy policy at the European University Maxim Titov notes that the plan “an attempt was made to represent all areas in which energy efficiency is necessary”, noting, however, is also “forgotten” moments — from the requirements to the banks with the state participation to develop a standard financial products to public transport. “It is also necessary to explain why the previous goal remained unfulfilled even by half,”— said the expert.Angelina Davydova
