Electric Power Industry Research Articles

Competition Development in Retail Electricity Markets: Opportunities for Improving the Russian Laws on the Electric Power Industry

Taking measures to develop competition and improve market relations is of paramount importance for the functioning of the electric power industry. This is due to the implementation of the strategic tasks set for the industry to improve the reliability and quality of power supply to consumers, the need to achieve the energy security goals of the Russian Federation, and the role of the electric power industry in strengthening the national economy. Currently, retail markets are highly concentrated and have poor competition due to a number of problems that have not yet been resolved. The Russian Ministry of Energy has prepared a promising model of competitive retail electricity markets that establishes basic requirements for a promising model of these markets, as well as the areas where competitive relations should be developed. The implementation of the underlying principles of the concept requires amendments to Russian laws on the electric power industry. To this end, we propose to consider drafting a federal law and a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation in furtherance thereof.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ІННОВАЦІЙНО-ІНВЕСТИЦІЙНОЇ СТРАТЕГІЇ ВІДНОВЛЕННЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ ЕЛЕКТРОЕНЕРГЕТИКИ

The article examines the organizational and economic aspect of the formation of a strategy for the recovery of the Ukrainian electric power industry. Taking into account the potential danger of sabotage and terrorist acts by the Russian state even after the end of the war is the main prerequisite for the formation of this strategy. The main principles of the recovery of the country's electric power industry have been determined: ensuring physical safety for personnel and valuable equipment, ensuring the reliability of the power system, balanced generation, optimization and rationalization of energy consumption, energy decarbonization and efforts to achieve climate neutrality. It is proposed to develop a national innovation and investment project for the restoration, modernization and development of the electric power industry on the basis of the ecological and economic concept of the modernization of the electric power industry developed by the author. The structure of the mentioned national project should be made up of local projects for restoration, modernization and development of generation and energy distribution infrastructure, as well as energy saving and rationalization of energy consumption projects. The participants of the energy system are offered to develop a national project in cooperation with regulators and state institutions. In the process of developing a national project, it is proposed to use the author's approach of balancing the costs of subcontractor resources and time resources based on a realistic assessment of available and available resources. To solve the problem of financing the national project, it is proposed to create a patronage investor of the project – the National Energy Restoration Fund. At the expense of the fund, projects of restoration of energy facilities on an innovative basis, as well as projects of greening of energy production and more, should be financed. The only criterion for the success of the Fund's functioning should be the implementation of the national project for the restoration, modernization and development of the electric power industry in accordance with the planned terms, volumes and budgets.

ОЦЕНКА СИСТЕМЫ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ ФИНАНСОВЫМИ РИСКАМИ В ЭЛЕКТРОЭНЕРГЕТИЧЕСКИХ КОМПАНИЯХ

The purpose of the study is to assess the financial risk management system in organizations in the electric power industry, which allows to determine its most important components, to identify industry-specific risk management features, to establish risk factors and to propose a set of measures to reduce the negative impact of risks on the financial stability of electric power companies. Research methods - generalization and analysis of the scientific basis and practical experience in risk management in the electric power industry; a systematic approach and epistemological principle in assessing the risk management policy, the features of the functioning of management structures, the establishment of risk factors and a set of measures to manage risks in companies in the energy sector. As a result, it was found that the financial risk management system in the organizations of the electric power industry operates within the framework of the overall risk management system. An assessment of the multi-level hierarchical structure of risk management and its powers is given. A grouping of risks specific to electric power companies is made, which includes a group of financial risks, specific risk factors are identified, and measures to compensate them are proposed.

Optimization of information flows and development of a predictive model for organizing the information space in digital energy

The application of modern information technologies in the electric power industry of the national economy of Russia is considered. The main digital technologies with the maximum potential for use in the electric power industry are given. The stages of the digital flows organization are determined for the development of a model for organizing the information space in the digital energy. The main indicators of the digitalization introduction in the energy sector, as well as factors hindering the process of digitalization of the electric power industry in Russia, are determined. A model for organizing the information space in the digital energy sector of Russia for the medium and long term is developed. Keywords energy, digitalization, data optimization, information flow, big data, artificial intelligence, renewable energy sources

From Hierarchies to Markets: The Electric Power Industry’s Path to Consumer Welfare

The energy crises during 2021 and 2022 in the USA and EU have shown that technological transformation can have negative consequences for the electric power industry by causing power outages and sharp fluctuations in market prices. This prompted the authors to determine the role of institutions in overcoming problems in intra-sectoral coordination. After clustering the electric power industry’s alternatives for institutional organization in different countries using OECD data and Ward's method, the conclusion is that, in addition to economic and technological factors, the characteristics of social orders (as outlined by D. North et al.) influence the choice of a regulatory model. Moreover, after comparing the results of clustering with the dynamics of investment in the industry and of electricity prices, the authors maintain that these factors are significantly correlated with institutional organization. Therefore, management alternatives for ensuring stable electricity prices and incentives for investment in the industry should take into account not only economic and technological factors but also the social order established in the country

Результати діяльності Інституту проблем безпеки атомних електростанцій НАН України у 2022 р.

The most important results of the scientific and scientific-organizational activities of the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (ISP NPP, NAS of Ukraine) in 2022 are presented. It is shown that even under the extremely difficult conditions in which the entire country is due to the invasion of Russian troops into the territory of Ukraine, the employees of the Institute made great efforts to implement planned tasks to ensure nuclear and radiation safety of the destroyed fourth power unit of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, handling of nuclear hazardous materials, as well as increasing the reliability and safety of nuclear power plants operation. The results of these studies were implemented in the fields of production, electric power industry and during the educational process, as well as highlighted in a number of publications and scientific events. Thus, despite the objective difficulties and guided by the development strategy, the ISP NPP plans to preserve the scientific and technical potential under the conditions of power outages, lack of heating and water supply in some places, disruption of the functioning of public transport, telecommunications and data transmission facilities, etc., as well as to become the leading organization of Ukraine for scientific and technical support of activities for the peaceful use of nuclear energy

Федеральный государственный энергетический надзор в сфере электроэнергетики: эволюция и современное состояние нормативного регулирования

Ensuring the reliable and safe operation of the unified energy system of Russia and technologically isolated territorial power systems, the energy security of the industry, as well as the priority of life and health of employees of organizations of the electric power industry when operating electric power facilities and power receivers are among the basic principles of state regulation and control in the electric power industry. Without state energy supervision and development of the necessary regulatory framework, it is impossible to achieve the goals of reliability and safety regulation in the electric power industry, to fully implement the principles of state regulation and control in the electric power industry, as well as the fundamentals of the state sectoral policy. The article examines the process of evolution of statutory regulation of state energy supervision in the electric power industry, highlights the key changes in state supervision after the adoption of normative legal acts as part of the reform of control and supervisory activities, and considers the priority tasks of the development of legal regulation of state energy supervision.

Investigation of the Causes of Accidents in the Electric Power Industry: Assessment of the Need for Changes and the Concept of Regulatory Development

The occurrence of accidents at electric power facilities and power receivers has a significant impact on the quality of energy supply to electricity consumers, the functioning of the fuel and energy complex, the socio-economic development of the country and national security. The attainment of the objective of the electric power industry specified in the Energy Strategy for the period up to 2035 and the implementation of the general principles and objectives of regulating reliability and safety in the electric power industry and the quality of electricity established in the Electric Power Industry Law is impossible without the development, adoption and timely updating of regulations governing the procedure for investigating the causes of accidents in the electric power industry. Previously, issues related to the regulation of the procedure for investigating the causes of accidents in the electric power industry were not considered in legal studies, with the exception of certain procedural issues in judicial practices in cases of appeal against investigation reports on the causes of accident. The purpose of the study is to establish the need to amend the legal regulation of the procedure for investigating the causes of accidents in the electric power industry and to form a concept for the development of the accident investigation procedure.

Team Performance Analysis of Provincial Electric Power Company Considering Production Cost

The electric power industry is related to the national livelihood, and regional economic development is closely related to the pillar industry. At present, China's economy continues to develop steadily, and the promotion of domestic industrialization has also increased the demand for electricity. In recent years, the state power industry has made great progress, in order to further adapt to the needs of domestic and foreign market competition, the State Grid has also carried out a systematic reform of its own management system. In the reform process, strengthening the construction of performance appraisal system is a very important change. According to statistics, as of June 2020, the number of employees of State Grid has reached more than 900,000. As the most basic business unit of the state grid, the team is the cell of the state grid. It is the basis for the completion of various production management work and plays an important role in the safe production and stable output of electric power enterprises. Based on the relevant indicators of the work of the team, this paper analyzes the performance of the team through the production cost performance model, and provides suggestions for the optimization of the team for power grid enterprises

Condition and trends of energy construction in the Russian Federation for 2023 based on the results of the implementation of energy supply contract programmes

The article discusses the state and development trends of the energy construction of the Russian Federation. The experience of implementing energy modernization programs in the Russian Federation was analyzed. The exit of the domestic economy and the electric power industry from the protracted crisis of the late 20th- early 21stcentury required the development of systemic policy documents aimed at building new and modernizing existing generating capacities. We can talk about the complete and partial completion of these programs, which allows us to talk about their structural features, practical results achieved, as well as prospective development trends. The first program turned out to be extremely effective only in the first years. When significant discrepancies and other difficulties began to appear, including financial ones, the system began to require certain improvements. They touched on almost all projects. However, the adopted course cannot be called promising and having an exhaustive potential for long-term development. It is necessary to develop and implement a new program that considers both previously unpredictable socio-political and economic changes, as well as modern trends in the development of industrial and civil construction.

The influence of the market type in the electric power industry on its reliability on the example EPS of Russia

In modern conditions of competition in international markets, the cost of electricity has a huge impact on the ability of state to produce a competitive product. The percentage of electricity costs to goods manufactured in Russia is 2-2.5 higher than European countries, which undoubtedly affects competitiveness, and therefore leads to a decrease in Russia's growth rate. Therefore, work on the effectiveness of the energy industry is very important. The article discusses the mechanisms of energy markets, their features are given. The influence of selected mechanism on necessary full reserve of power is shown, the author’s vision on further actions in these matters is given.

Impact of Electrification in the Road Transport Sector on the Level of Electricity Consumption and Daily Load Curve in the UES of Russia

The article assesses the impact of potential motor transport sector electrification on the value of the aggregate demand for electricity and capacity in the UES of Russia. Despite official documents suppose quite modest quantitative targets for the electric transport until 2030, in the longer term, a large-scale replacement of oil fuel with electricity will have a significant effect on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but will also require a more intensive development of generating and network capacities in the electric power industry. The scenaric forecast for the development of electric transport is made with the allocation of three segments - cars, trucks and buses, which allows taking into account the characteristics of electricity consumption characteristic of each of them. Another important result is an assessment of the possible extent of the influence of electric transport on the configuration of a typical daily load curve. The paper considers various modes of using infrastructure for electric transport charging, which result in different daily load curves. It is shown that, depending on the scales of electric transport development, their annual electricity consumption in the country will lay in the diapason from 168 to 460 TWh. At the same time, depending on the charging mode of electric vehicles, the additional power demand will vary from 26 to 74 million kW, and the amplitude of fluctuations in the hourly loads of electric vehicles will vary from two to four times.

СТАТИСТИЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ АВАРИЙНОСТИ НА ПРОИЗВОДСТВЕ В РЕЗУЛЬТАТЕ НЕКОРРЕКТНОГО ФУНКЦИОНИРОВАНИЯ СИСТЕМЫ ЭНЕРГООБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ ПРЕДПРИЯТИЯ

This article presents an analysis of industrial accidents in order to ensure the continuous operation of the enterprise. The impact of potentially hazardous production factors on a person is considered on the example of the chemical industry. The analysis of statistical data on emergency situations in the electric power industry over the past seven years has been carried out. A set of measures to prevent accidents is proposed, consisting of five main groups of measures: legislative, technical, organizational, economic, medical and preventive. One of the best and promising options for reducing production risks is an automated control system (ACS), the advantages of which include reducing unproductive costs and energy losses, obtaining reliable information about the progress of the technological process, the condition of equipment and controls in order to quickly eliminate abnormal emergency and post-emergency modes.

Contactless wide-range ferromagnetic high-current converters for monitoring and control systems in the electric power industry

The paper shows that the impossibility of breaking the current circuit for the production necessity of temporarily switching on electrical measuring instruments, large power losses on shunts, and the need to obtain quick information about the quality of the functioning of technological processes have led to the widespread use of non-contact conversion and measurement of high direct currents in circuits without breaking them. Light detachable wide-range stationary and portable non-contact transducers and meters of high direct currents are not yet mass-produced. In this regard, it is expedient to develop and study non-contact converters and meters of high direct currents, which are distinguished by a wide range of converted currents, small dimensions and weight, increased accuracy, and sensitivity of electric power facilities. The questions of sensitivity of magneto-modulation non-contact transducers are considered. The expression for the optimal static characteristic of the developed magneto-modulation non-contact transducer is determined and analyzed. Its maximum deviation from the calculated value does not exceed 6%. The expressions for the current, average sensitivity, and sensitivity regarding the magnitude of the excitation of a magneto-modulation non-contact transducer are obtained and investigated. In this case, the maximum sensitivity of the transducer reaches a value of 0.425 with an optimal excitation value of 1.65. It is recommended to take the allowable limit of the input value of the converter to be less than one. Its input value must be taken equal to 0.7. The developed magneto-modulation non-contact transducer has an increased sensitivity due to longitudinal modulation. It can be widely applied in control and management systems in melioration and irrigation, water supply, industry, metallurgy, railway transport, science, technology, GIS technology, and, in particular, digital coverage and database visualization, and as well as for checking electric meters at the place of their installation for non-contact control of direct, as well as alternating currents.

Сучасні протиріччя у вітчизняній електроенергетиці

The article is concerned with studying the current state of the domestic electric power industry and the existing and potential contradictions between stakeholders in the process of its restoration and modernization. Based on the studies of world experience, possible changes are indicated, namely: recovery of the energy system on the basis of decentralization; development of mini-power plants; creation of an energy storage system at existing hydroelectric power plants; development of hybrid projects in the field of renewable energy sources (RES) and the introduction of other generating capacities of «green» energy. The need to amend the Draft Concept of the «green» transition of Ukraine until 2050 to increase the share of electric energy from the nuclear energy sector is substantiated. It is noted that the domestic energy sector will undergo significant changes in the coming decade, but positive changes are possible only with the interaction and beneficial cooperation of all business structures, as well as with the support of their activities by individual territorial communities and public organizations. Attention is focused on a significant number of stakeholders in the electric energy market, some of which have counter interests, which will cause conflicts and contradictions. The article also points out that one of the important ones is the contradiction between the need for a radical energy transition to new technologies and the interests of current raw materials and energy monopolies to maintain the status of traditional energy for as long as possible. As a result of the study, it is determined that the current sector of the domestic electric power industry is characterized by a significant number and versatility of contradictions, which are proposed to be classified on the basis of «sphere of manifestation» into the following: economic; social; market-based, and technological. It is proposed to consider the processes of detection and identification of contradictions as an important prerequisite for a solid foundation in order to ensure a stable, consistent and innovative development of the electric power industry sector of the national economy.

Legal issues and peculiarities of risk minimisation in recovery of civil damages incurred by a consumer subsequent to the supply of electricity of improper quality

The legislation concerning Electric Power Industry does not directly stipulate for statement of obligations or liability of the supplier for the delivered electric utility of inadequate quality. At the same time, it does not limit the application of civil law regulations, including the regulation on the buyer’s right to demand a proportionate reduction in the purchase price of goods purchased of improper quality, enshrined in paragraph 1 of Article 475 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

Influencing Factors of Employee Turnover Based on the Random Forest and DEMATEL Method: Evidence from the Qinghai Electric Power Company in China

Under the background of the deepening reform of China’s electric power industry, how to make use of existing resources, keep existing employees, and identify and distinguish the influencing factors of turnover have become major problems faced by companies. At the same time, the identification of influencing factors also provides a reference for relevant enterprises to do a good job in talent reserve and recruitment. The influencing factors of employee turnover are numerous and interrelated. Identifying and distinguishing the influencing factors are the focus of academic research. Meanwhile, it provides a reference for relevant enterprises to do an excellent job in personnel reserve and recruitment. Aiming at the limitation of constructing a direct matrix based on experts’ scoring method in the traditional DEMATEL model, a model combining random forest and DEMATEL is proposed, applied to identify the influencing factors of employee turnover in electric power enterprises in Qinghai Province. Based on the employee turnover data set of Qinghai Electric Power Company from 2012 to 2020, the empirical analysis is conducted to analyze the influencing factors of employee turnover from two perspectives of the degree of centrality and the degree of causal. The research results show that marital status, household registration, political status, type of job, and the location of the work unit are the key influencing factors, providing a theoretical basis for the early warning of employee turnover and confirming the feasibility of the random forest‐DEMATEL method proposed by us.

Prerequisites for the formation of collaborative alliances in the implementation of distributed generation

Introduction. One of the key vectors of the further development of the domestic electric power industry is the implementation of the smart grid system particularly the development of distributed generation. At the same time, this process requires solving the complex problem of establishing interaction and organizing cooperation between its participants. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to determine the participants of collaborative alliances within the framework of the development of the distributed generation system. Method (methodology). The methods of generalization and grouping used in the research process with the aim of forming relevance and outlining development paths in the electric power industry, for the formation of the structure of collaborative alliances – methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as a method of logical analysis to form conclusions. Results. Prerequisites for the organization of cooperation through the creation of associations and partnerships based on the theory of collaborative alliances are determined, primarily due to the insufficient amount of resources of individual economic entities. Considered the concept of collaborative alliances, grouped the main general advantages of their creation and functioning. Researched the main issues in electric power, which can be solve by the implementation of smart grids, also, as a result, a complex of potential positive changes. Defined the basic functions of a smart network as: production, transmission, distribution and consumption of electric energy and their constituent elements. Particular attention paid to the development of distributed generation in the paradigm of one of the key elements of the smart grids development. Researched concepts and advantages of implementation of distributed generation and their essence. Emphasized the urgency of organizing the cooperation of distributed generation entities by forming collaborative alliances. Proposed the basic structure of such collaborative alliances in the system of distributed generation and the relationships of their participants.

Development of intensive technology for constructing low-rise building walls from ash-cement mix

There is a great demand for low-rise construction in Uzbekistan. In this regard, it is necessary to continue research on the intensification of the technology of monolithic low-rise housing construction using primarily local waste from various industries. One of them is fly ash waste from the electric power industry. It is proposed to use fly ash as a filler in a cement-ash composition, and it is considered more affordable. The use of other industrial waste as fillers requires additional special processing such as drying and grinding. It was established that fly ash is more accessible for practical use. From the point of view of the structural theory of composite building materials, fly ash has a plasticizing ability, which in turn helps to reduce water consumption. It was established that it is appropriate to use mineral additives in combination with other additives in the preparation of concrete mixes with high workability and low cement consumption. To determine the strength properties, samples were prepared from an ash-cement mix with a water-cement ratio of 0.32, with a fly ash content of 85% of the total mass of the mix. The hardener additive (soda powder) was used at 1.5% by weight of the binder and activated in the mixers for 2 -4 minutes. The results of the study show that the additive accelerates the hardening process of the ash-cement mix by 80-90% at one day of age, due to activation, the strength increases by 11-22% for the mix with/without the additive, respectively. When the mix is activated, the particles are struck and the inert film is torn off from their surface and free access of water to the ash particles is ensured; this, in turn, leads to an increase in the number of hydrate formations and a deeper occurrence of hydration processes. We studied the effect of the sequence of loading components in a working mixer on strength indices. The strength of the mechanically activated mix with 80% fly ash content and 1.5% addition of soda powder, reached 18.5-19.5 MPa. An ash-cement mix for concreting monolithic low-rise buildings was developed.

Chemical and mineralogical studies of basalt “Aydarkul”

In the article, the geologic, structural, and mineralogical composition of the “Aydarkul” basalt mine was studied as a result of research, and a complete analysis of the physical and chemical pieces of the basalt rock was given. Based on the results of theoretical and experimental studies, the physical and chemical foundations of pyro- and hydrometallurgical methods of rock processing - basalt raw materials - have been developed. Technological options are proposed that allow obtaining demanded products of various compositions. A schematic diagram of the complex processing of basalt raw materials has been developed, including the processing of waste and by-products, as well as the extraction of accessory materials. The study found that the basalts of the Aydarkul mine can be used in the electric power industry.