OREANDA-NEWS. On May 23, 2008 the CIS Electric Power Council held its 33rd meeting. The meeting was chaired by Chairman of the Management Board of RAO UES Anatoly Chubais. The meeting was also attended by the officials in charge of the energy industry in the CIS countries, reported the press-centre of RAO UES.

During the meeting, the participants determined the operational results of the CIS energy systems during the 2007/2008 autumn-winter period, discussed issues of creating a common electricity market in the CIS member states, and considered the progress made in the preparation of a feasibility study for synchronous interconnection of the energy systems of the CIS countries and the IES of Baltic states with the West-European energy systems of the European Union for the Co-ordination of Transmission of Electricity (UCTE).

This was the last meeting chaired by Anatoly Chubais as Council President. As RAO "UES of Russia" ceases its operations, the members of the EPC CIS considered the early termination of his office and elected Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Sergey Shmatko as Council President.

Anatoly Chubais has been head of the Council since 2000. The key results of the Council's activities over this period include restoration of parallel operation of the energy systems in the former Soviet Union republics. Today, the UES of Russia runs in parallel with the energy systems in 12 FSU republics and exchanges electricity flows with the energy systems of Armenia, Norway, Finland, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and China.

Another achievement of the Council is the creation of a legal environment in the electricity sector of the CIS countries. Thus, the Council drafted a number of the current international treaties signed both between governments and between agencies.

Over the period, the Council of Heads of CIS Governments signed a number of agreements developed by the CIS EPC. Specifically, they signed an agreement on cooperation of the CIS Member States in improving energy efficiency and energy conservation, an agreement on the creation of reserves of resources and their efficient use to ensure reliable parallel operation of the CIS energy systems, an agreement on mutual assistance in the event of emergencies at power facilities in the CIS Member States.

The CIS EPC is actively working to involve organizations and companies interested in cooperation with the Council as Supervisors. Currently, over ten leading Russian and foreign companies and institutes act as the Council's Supervisors.