OREANDA-NEWS. September 12, 2007. A commission set up by OJSC Russian Utility Systems to review preparedness for 2007-2008 autumn-and-winter period of the companies managed by OJSC RUS has started its work.

The commission has among its tasks analysis of readiness for the coming autumn-and-winter period of utilities included in the regional companies' responsibility zone. Scheduled for revision are volumes of construction, repair and maintenance works, availability of the planned fuel oil and coal stock, required gas consumption limits, carrying-out labor protection activities and fulfillment of compliance orders received from controlling authorities.

OJSC RUS conducts annual certification of companies under its management in parallel with the existing system used in the regions to certify preparedness of housing and public utilities for winter. Thus the utility holding company ensures centralized control of the condition and operability of the serviced facilities.

According to estimates of OJSC RUS Industrial Engineering Department, the volume of boiler and thermal systems serviced by the holding company's units will grow by more than 5% in the coming winter. The responsibility zone will be enlarged first of all due to commencement of operations of OJSC RUS subsidiaries in Karelia's northern districts.

An 80% increase from the year-earlier period will be registered this winter in the number of the water-and-sewage facilities serviced by OJSC RUS group of companies. This growth is explained by the fact that major Perm operator LLC Novogor-Prikamie has been transferred to Russian Utility Systems for management.

The electric power grid capacities serviced by OJSC RUS group of companies will actually remain at the same level. A minor reduction in the grid capacities is due to termination of operations in a number of areas in the Sverdlovsk Region and Perm Territory.

OJSC RUS group of companies' allocations for repair works (capital repairs, maintenance, upgrading and modernization of housing facilities and utilities) planned for 2007 total RUR 1.7 billion, or a considerable increase as compared with 2006 (by 61%). At the same time, the share of capital repairs in the total scope of repair works has grown by 37%, since capital repairs are much more efficient than maintenance.
The growing scope of capital repairs in 2007 and upgrading and modernization works carries out allow for an expert projection on the accident rate in the serviced facilities going down at least two or three percent. The company's industrial engineering policy in general is aimed at undertaking repairs as planned works rather than emergency response operations thus not only reducing the accident rate, but also cutting-down self-costs of electricity, heat and water supplies.