Building a modern agricultural facility requires extra electricity capacity. At present, a dairy farm for 1,200 cattle heads, an elevator for 40 k tons of grain, a machine and tractor station with a training and service centre, and a seed plant with a production capacity of 5 t/hour are being commissioned. Construction of a pig farm for 55,000 pigs per year, a dairy plant (50 t/day), a fodder plant (8,000 t/year), and a meat processing plant (24 t/shift of meat on bone) is in process. A horse farm of the Russian Trotter breed is being developed. The complex is scheduled to reach its full design capacity in 2015.

The Mansurovo substation has comprised the most advanced technologies and is currently one of the most high-tech substations in the Kursk Region. On an area of 900 square meters, there are a strong power transformer, a 35 kV vacuum switch, and a module building of 10 kV outdoor switchgear. The data collection and transfer system of the facility provides process control and enables remote control of the equipment. A 1.6-km 35-kV Kshen — Rog. Kolodez power line was built to connect the Mansurovo substantion with the regional energy system.

Vozrozhdeniye substation

The Kurskenergo branch has commissioned the 110/10 kV Vozrozhdeniye substation, which had been built under the grid connection contract for properties of MIRATORGBelgorod Group, the biggest association of agricultural enterprises in the Belgorod and Kursk Regions.

The first facilities to be connected to the grid via the new power centre became a closed-cycle pig farm and a veterinary sanitary utilisation plant with a total capacity of 2.5 MW. The commissioning of the new energy facility improved the quality of power supply to the nearby town of Kirovsky.

The Vozrozhdeniye substation has two power transformers with a total capacity of 20 MVA (2×10 MVA). Their capacity was selected so that in the case of one transformer’s failure, the other one would provide all the load that is required for the property. The new power centre has the most state-of-the-art electrical equipment, which provides the required power supply reliability for consumers and reduces further costs of its repair and maintenance. New innovative developments in teleautomatics and IT technologies have been used as well.

Commissioning of new industrial facilities is an important step for the Kostroma Region in further development of its industrial potential. In addition, these investment projects will let the city of Volgorechensk prove its status of a high-tech information site and create new jobs for the Region residents.

For capacity increase, the substation has got two new 110 kV transformers with a capacity of 25 MVA each. Upgrading of high-voltage equipment included installation of 110 kV disconnecting switches with main and grounding knife drives, and the obsolete system of separators and 110 kV short-circuiters was replaced with SF6 switches. Oil current transformers and voltage transformers were replaced with new SF6 equipment with a longer lifetime that does not require constant maintenance. New microprocessor protection systems have been put into operation, a modern telemechanics system shall be installed, and high-speed communication channels with fibre optic lines have been organised.

All the equipment is automated. The system of operating direct current with a battery provides for a significant increase of the substation equipment reliability in normal and emergency conditions.

The investment project included retrofitting of the 110 kV outdoor switchgear, installation of two sections of divergent 110 kV aerial lines with 110 kV EV. In addition, a sectional 110 kV EV, a mobile general control unit, and microprocessor protection facilities for two transformers and two divergent 110 kV aerial lines, Livny-Kolpny and Kolpny-Maloarkhangelsk, were installed.

This will raise the electricity supply reliability in the Kolpny district significantly, support major enterprises such as the elevator, the sugar plant, and the bakery, and provide conditions for development of the food industry, agriculture, and the agricultural sector in the entire Orel Region.

The mobile substation consists of two units installed on the platforms of two truck semitrailers. One unit has a 110-kV SF6 switchgear and a 25-MVA power transformer, and the other unit holds a block container with 10(6) kV switchgear and supplementary control and protection systems. The units are connected with flexible 10 kV cables with cross-linked polyethylene insulation. Such design enables the mobile substation to be moved into any location and used as a powerful independent power source for the period of elimination of the consequences of any failures, construction of fixed substations or unloading the grid during peak loads. Other benefits of the mobile substation include minimum amount of construction work required for commissioning and remote monitoring and control in the dispatching system.

All the information about the state of the cable is transferred to the operating personnel and dispatchers of the Grid Control Centre, as well as specialists of the diagnostic service. Application of the new monitoring system allows up to 50 cm accuracy to determine local hot spots of cable lines and prevent emergency situations.

The system was put into operation in the framework of the largest investment project of 2013–2014 for doubling the power output to social and engineering infrastructure facilities of Kominternovsky district of the city of Voronezh. In the first phase of the project a 110 kV power cable line of XLPE from SS No. 30 “Podgornoye” to SS No. 13 “VPI” was constructed. The second stage involves the reconstruction of substation No. 13 “VPI” 35/10 kV with transfer from 35 to 110 kV.

The Yarenergo branch has created a charging infrastructure for the electric bus, which will run along the tour route in the historic city. Purchase of the prototype model of electric bus TROLZA is funded by regional and municipal authorities. The electric bus will be charged at the terminus of the transport route, where two charging posts have been installed.

Furthermore, Yarenergo purchased five charging stations. Currently, the branch is discussing with the city administration the possible places to install charging stations. They are planned to be placed near large shopping & entertainment centres and sports facilities.

In 2014, the Company replaced part of corporate car fleet with electric cars at the Yarenergo and Orelenergo branches. Electric cars Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV were purchased. Electric cars are more economical and more environmentally friendly than petrol cars.

Steel multi-faceted poles are a technically and economically feasible alternative of 0.4 kV reinforced concrete and wooden anchor towers based on steel multifaceted racks. They are far more reliable and durable by comparison: the life of steel poles is about 50 years, whereas that of reinforced concrete — 36 years, wood — 25. Moreover, their design features make it possible to significantly speed up the installation and increase the estimated length of spans, which reaches 40 metres.

New poles are fireproof and resistant to icing and wind loads, in addition to being equipped with attachment points for a variety of equipment: remote metering boxes, crossarms for bare wires, streetlights, and cable terminations. Given the lack of demand for certain materials and fittings: anchor brackets, plates, bandage tape, binders — all this greatly reduces logistics costs, as well as the construction and grid connection costs.

Steel multi-faceted poles do not require close monitoring of technical condition; they are compact, aesthetic and vandal resistant, which is especially needed in the areas with dense residential development. Their use will contribute to reducing technological failures on overhead lines, optimising operating costs and, as a result, increasing reliability of electricity supply to consumers.

The trial run of power grids was held at the Mtsensky District within the project on complex diagnostics of overhead power lines using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This project is designed to develop a system of diagnostics, prevention and liquidation of emergencies with regard to the Company’s power grids.

Aerial photographic survey enables to significantly reduce the time for searching power line failures in the event of blackouts. The time of inspecting power lines using UAVs was no more than 20 minutes, including the time for UAV preparation for departure. The test results show that UAVs enable to determine the technical condition of overhead lines, accurately plan for clearing and extension of the glades, and oversee the work performed.

IDGC of Centre will provide access to high-speed data transfer (at least 10 Mbit/s) to 74 municipalities in six constituent entities of the Central Federal District within the Company’s area of responsibility: the Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk, and Orel Regions. Power engineers have already made a preliminary project review in these regions in collaboration with contractors of OJSC Rostelecom, and defined 10 kV and 35 kV overhead line routing to place FOLs. Now the project is at the design stage. The project will cover another 384 settlements in 2015. IDGC of Centre plans to provide all residents of small regional municipalities with highspeed access to information networks within five years.

The implementation of the Elimination of Digital Divide project will make it possible to create a new generation communications infrastructure in the Central Federal District: high-speed Internet will be available for educational, cultural and social institutions that are located in small settlements. Furthermore, IDGC of Centre energy facilities will have additional communications channels, which will contribute to increasing the reliability of the Company’s own communication networks and energy system as a whole.