The nuclear power minister Yevgeny Adamov remains critical of the plans to restructure national grid company UES and he has suggested that a single generating company should be created, while the distribution and transmission networks became merged into a separate company. He says that the networks should remain in state hands, but under a different management.
Adamov said that the emphasis in the restructuring ideology had shifted since the privatisation of half of UES had not attracted any investment in the company. He added that it was unrealistic to expect a private company to build a power plant in Russia as the price of electricity was too low to guarantee any profit.
Adamov says that the UES head Anatoli Chubais is fighting to keep hold of the networks but UES has done nothing to develop them. He cited the example of the Kola station, which last year produced 4.3 billion kWh below target because there was no demand while the neighbouring Arkhangelsk region is desperate for electricity but cannot access any on the network.
