| Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has admitted that nothing is being done in the country to improve the energy efficiency of the economy. «The energy efficiency problems in our country are still very bad, there is only chatter on this topic, and nothing is happening,» he said the day before at the first meeting of the commission on modernization of the Russian economy. «And even the crisis, which everyone was counting on, has not helped at all. No one is working on energy efficiency, the cost price is not falling, despite the fact that production often stops and competitiveness has sharply decreased.»
At first glance, one can agree with the arguments of the head of state. The Russian economy is indeed energy-wasteful compared to other developed countries: the energy intensity of GDP in the Russian Federation is 6 times higher than in Japan, 3 times higher than in the USA, and approximately 3.5 times higher than in Western European countries.
However, if this problem was not of particular concern during the years of raw materials prosperity, it is even more unlikely to be solved now: energy conservation requires investment in new technologies, equipment, training, and today everyone has huge problems with attracting money. The Center for Efficient Use of Energy (CENEF) calculated that industrial enterprises in Russia alone will need $35 billion to replace outdated equipment in the next 5 years.
Energy efficiency programs are currently being implemented in the fuel and energy complex, which accounts for 33% of the country's energy saving potential, industry (32%), housing and utilities (26%) and the transport sector (9%). But the fight for energy efficiency has not become widespread — although, in theory, after entering the market economy in the early 1990s, this should have gradually happened. Modernization of technological, energy equipment and engineering systems (lighting and heating, water and compressed air supply), the introduction of «cultural consumption» through energy consumption metering and control systems, installation of autonomous power sources and the use of renewable energy sources — all this is not yet typical of the Russian economy.
There are many reasons for this. In particular, there is no current legislation in the field of energy conservation — the law on energy efficiency from 1996 has not really worked. And the new bill, which offers quite serious real tools and opportunities for launching this process, according to the unkind Russian tradition, has been under consideration for an unacceptably long time. Apparently, monopolists extracting oil and gas, producing heat and electricity, are actively lobbying their interests, not allowing energy-efficient technologies to penetrate the market.
The authorities are also not trying to activate the process — there are no tax breaks, no assistance in repairing and reconstructing housing. And in Germany, for example, the population that saves energy receives various benefits and discounts.
The introduction of energy-saving programs is hampered by low domestic prices for energy resources and the often «vague» investment attractiveness of such projects. And if the first barrier is gradually being destroyed due to the constant growth of tariffs, the second will be relevant for a long time — at least due to the neglect of metering devices.
In addition, we should not forget about the bureaucratic barriers and corruption in the implementation of such projects. In order for the Russian economy to finally become energy efficient, it is necessary to completely change the business model (a kind of «genetic code») of domestic companies, and restructure the worldview of officials themselves. And this is impossible without the introduction of modern (innovative) management technologies in business and government agencies. Ultimately, everything comes down to qualified and effective management, which is still in great deficit in Russia.
Therefore, according to experts, the presidential decree that by 2020 the energy intensity of the Russian economy should be reduced by 40% will not be implemented and will remain only on paper. Although the energy saving potential in Russia is simply colossal — up to 450 million tons of conventional fuel, or 40-45% of current energy consumption. The saved resources can be sold — additional income, according to World Bank calculations, could amount to $150 billion.
Viktor Stepanyan Rosbalt |
