OREANDA-NEWS. On 18 March 2009 was announced, that in the course of regular working trip to Luchegorsk General Director of JSC “Far Eastern Generating Company” has met with representatives of the labour collective and trade unions of energy workers, coal mine workers and rail road workers of the branch “LuTEK”.

In the working meeting there were taken part the Deputy General Director of JSC “FEGC” Evgeny Yudin, Director of the branch “LuTEK” of JSC “FEGC” Viktor Milush, the managers of Primorskaya TPP and PA “Luchegorskoye” Dmitry Lebed and Vladimir Timoshenko.

The conversation touched such actual for energy and coal pit workers by the choice of the most optimal ways of preservation of production and working places in condition of global financial and economic crisis, elaboration of program of minimization expenses while maintaining of sustainable operation of the company for reliable provision of the Far Eastern regions with heat and electric power.

Firstly, the head of the generating company has attentively heard the opinions and suggestions of the energy and coal pit workers, answered the asked questions, related to the scale of repair programs for 2009, with regimes of operation of the basic equipment of Primorskaya TPP in conditions dictated by wholesale market of electric power and capacities, with strengthening the material resources of repairs of the special machinery of the Pit Administration “Luchegorskoye”, with regulating of tariffs for electric power, generated and supplied by the power stations to wholesale market, while providing timely wages payment and maintaining social protection of the employees of the company, etc.

Replying the questions, Valery Levit noted that global financial and economic crisis has already rendered its negative influence on the energy industry. The payment discipline of the heat power users is decreasing. Thus, for January 2009the company has already short-received around one billion roubles. In connection with decreasing of demand there have being decreased the production of the electric power. The raise of costs of fuel oil and coal (except LuTEK, all the rest branches are purchasing the solid fuel on the coal market), rail road transportation costs are negatively influencing on the general financial state of the company. Besides that the company should timely pay for bank credits interests, which were gained as “heirdom” from in the course of reforming of the energy sector of the Far East and separation it into three parts on its basic activity (generating, transport electric mains and sales of electric power), - the debts of the sector were basically transferred to joint stock company “Far Eastern Generating Company”.

Principally, there is nothing tragic in credit funds, noted V. Levit: energy employees always take so called seasonal credits, and return it and then take again – this is usual world practice. But in this year the inviting of credits is very complicated – the banks are practically cancel crediting. Some kind of “safety bag” the energy employees could not create, due to the only source of receiving of funds are the generated and sold to the market heat and electric power. By the way, the tariffs are stated as before by the state. At the same time the cost of fuel oil, coal and materials, which are supplied by other industries, are not regulated by the state.

In these conditions the company has to reduce the expenses for all the aspects, and it not an exclusion the repair programs of 2009 at all power stations of JSC “FEGC”, including at Primorskaya TPP. At the same time Valery Levit had specially stressed: “While the optimization of repair programs for this year it is very important that all the branches should literally and serious-minded concern to priority choices, forwarding the funds for the first priority to urgent repairs, without which the production could not actually do without within a year or a year and the half. If the financial and economic situation will be changing to positive side, we, obviously, will consider the matter of restoration of one or another item of repair programs. For operative taking the decision of adequate actions for all the aspects of activity of JSC “FEGC” depending on current situation is specially created and acting the Anticrisis administration group”.

One of the priority of 2009 for the branch “LuTEK” will become the financing of repair program of PA “Luchegorskoye”, otherwise we could face the reduction of the prepared reserves of coal and abrupt reduction of its excavation and delivery to Primorskaya TPP in the near future. As it is known, namely this reason was the condition of the energy collapse of Primorsky krai in 1999-2000.

The first priority protected item of expenses of the company in the period of crisis should remain the timely salary payment to all labour collectives of the branches of JSC “FEGC”. “We are taking all the measures to prevent delay in salary payments”, - stressed Valery Levit.