RusHydro Group announces its operating results for the 1 quarter of 2015

OREANDA-NEWS. JSC RusHydro (ticker symbol: MICEX-RTS, LSE: HYDR; OTCQX: RSHYY) announces operating results for the 1^st quarter of 2015 of its branches and the companies of RusHydro Group reflected in consolidated financial statements.

Key highlights:

• total electricity generation by power plants of RusHydro Group in 1Q 2015 – 26,634 GWh (-14.4%);
• total production by hydropower and pumped storage plants in 1Q 2015 – 16,713 GWh (-26.5%);
• output by fossil fuel fired and geothermal plants located in the Far East – 9,921 GWh (+18.5%);
• total water inflow to reservoirs of the Volga-Kama cascade, hydropower stations of the Far East and Novosibirsky reservoir was higher than long-run average, water inflow to hydro plants of the South of Russia was lower than normal, to the Sayano-Shushenskaya reservoir – close to long-run average;
• the electricity generation by the Boguchanskaya hydropower plant in 1Q 2015 was 2,354 GWh (+39.1%);
• in 2Q 2015, water inflow to reservoirs of hydropower plants of Siberia and the Far East is expected to be close to long-run average. Water inflow to reservoirs of hydropower plants of the Volga-Kama cascade is expected to be 25-30% lower than normal.

In the 1^st quarter of 2015, total electricity generation by power plants of RusHydro amounted to 26,634 GWh, a 14.4% decrease as compared to the same period of 2014. In the 1^st quarter of 2015, hydropower (HPPs) and pumped storage power plants (PSPPs) of RusHydro Group decreased electricity generation by 26.5% to 16,713 GWh, output by thermal (TPPs) and geothermal plants located in the Far East of Russia increased by 18.5% to 9,921 GWh.

Electricity generation by RusHydro Group in 1Q 2015/2014, GWh

The underlying factors of the production change in January-March of 2015 were:

• lower than average water resources in reservoirs of the hydropower plants of the Volga-Kama cascade;
• decrease in electricity generation by the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP as compared to the long-run average due to stable low water level in the basin of the Angara-Yenisey cascade;
• increase in electricity generation by TPPs of the Far East due to decreased hydro production in the unified power system of the Far East and electricity consumption at the level of 2014.

Center of Russia

In the 1^st quarter of 2015, total water inflow to reservoirs of the Volga-Kama cascade was 26% higher than normal, but not enough to compensate low water resources in reservoirs of hydropower plants. The useful storage of the Volgo-Kama cascade reservoirs amounted to 41.9 km³, 17.8% lower than long-run average and 35% lower than in the 1^st quarter of 2014.

Total water inflow to reservoirs of the Volgo-Kama cascade in the 1^st quarter of 2015 amounted to 26.9 km³ as compared to the average of 21.3 km³. As of the end of March 2015, water reserves in snow packs in the basins of the Sheksninskoe, Gorkovskoe, Cheboksarskoe, Kamskoye, Votkinskoe, Kuibyshevskoe, and Nizhekamskoye reservoirs amounted to 63-99% of the norm, in the basins of the Verkhnevolzhskoe, Uglichskoe, Rybinskoe, Volgogradskoe and Saratovskoe reservoirs amounted to 5-37% of the norm.

Total electricity generation by RusHydro’s hydropower plants of the Volgo-Kama cascade together with Zagorskaya pumped storage plant in the 1^st quarter of 2015 amounted to 7,006 GWh, a 30.5% decrease as compared to the same period of 2014, and 6% lower than long-run average.

South of Russia and North Caucasus

Water conditions on the rivers of the South of Russia and North Caucasus in the 1^st quarter of 2015 were close or lower than long-run average. In the 1^st quarter of 2015 water inflow to the Chirkeyskoe reservoir was 15% lower than long-run average.

Due to low water level (ca. 75-80% of norm) in the basin of the Sulak river, the Chirkeyskaya and Irganayskaya HPPs are operating in more intense drawdown mode.

The electricity generation by the hydropower plants of the South of Russia and North Caucasus in the 1^st quarter of 2015 decreased by 26.9% to 1,037 GWh, which is 18% lower than long-run average.

Siberia

In the 1^st quarter of 2015, water inflow to Novosibirskoe reservoir was 20-30% higher than long-run average, to Sayano-Shushenskoe and Krasnoyarskoe reservoirs – close to long-run average.

Decrease in the electricity generation by the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP as compared to the long-run average due to stable low water level in the basin of the Angara-Yenisey cascade. At the same time, water level in the basin of the Novosibirsky reservoir was 30% higher than normal.

In the 1^st quarter of 2015, the Boguchanskaya hydropower plant increased electricity generation by 39.1% to 2,354 GWh as compared to the same period of 2014. The increase in output is attributable to reservoir filling to 206 m (design reservoir level is 208 m), commissioning of all hydro units of the plant and completion of construction of power transmission lines.

Total electricity generation by RusHydro’s Siberian hydropower plants in the 1^st quarter of 2015 decreased by 13.9% to 5,156 GWh.

Far East

Due to low water level in the basin of the Zeya river during 2014, the reservoir level of the Zeyskaya HPP was not filled to its full level of 315 m. The power efficiency of the Zeyskaya HPP was reduced in accordance with the rules for water resources usage. At the same time, the output of the Bureyskaya HPP was higher than planned. Water inflow to the Kolymskoe reservoir in the 1^st quarter of 2015 was 2.6x higher than normal.

Total electricity generated by hydro and geothermal power plants of the Far East in the 1^st quarter decreased by 38.2% to 2,843 GWh.

In the 1^st quarter of 2015, the generating assets of RAO ES of East, a subsidiary of RusHydro, produced 10,537 GWh of electricity, a 17.2% increase as compared to the 1^st quarter of 2014. Of this total, 76% (8,050 GWh) was generated by JSC Far East Generating Company (DGK), which increased production by 23.8%, mainly due to 45 % decrease in electricity output by the Zeyskaya and Bureyskaya hydropower plants as compared to the 1^st period of 2014, and electricity consumption at the level of the previous year. In the 1^st quarter of 2015, electricity generation by the companies operating in isolated energy systems of the Far East and JSC Mobile energy (Peredvizhnaya energetika) remained flat year-on-year, in March 2015 – increased by 1.5%.

In the 1^st quarter of 2015, heat output by thermal plants of RAO ES of the East decreased by 7% to 12,583 ths. GCal as compared to the same period of 2014. The decrease is mainly attributed to higher than usual air temperatures.

Heat output by thermal plants of RAO ES of the East, ths. GCal

Armenia

In the 1^st quarter of 2015, electricity generation by the Sevan-Hrazdan cascade of hydropower plants in Armenia increased by 23.7% to 55 GWh. The power generation by the plants of the cascade is dependent on water inflows of Hrazdan river and water releases from lake Sevan.

Electricity retail

In the 1^st quarter of 2015, total electricity output by RusHydro’s four retail companies, operating in Bashkiria, Chuvashia, Ryazan and Krasnoyarsk regions, amounted to 10,564 GWh, a 2.8% decrease as compared to the same period of 2014. In the 1^st quarter of 2015, ESC RusHydro, a holding company for all electricity retail operations, increased electricity output by 192.2 GWh (or 79.6%), the retail company, operating in Chuvashia, also increased output by 78 GWh (or 9.3%) due to addition of major consumers.

The decrease in electricity output by JSC Krasnoyarskenergosbyt by 218 GWh or 4.9% and Bashkiria power retail company by 305 GWh (-6.7%) is primarily attributable to abnormally high air temperatures in January and February 2015. The reduction in output by JSC Ryazan power retail company by 55 GWh (-6.9%) is attributable to recession in manufacturing industry.

Electricity output by RusHydro Group’s retail companies, GWh

Water inflows forecast and power generation outlook

According to an updated forecast of the Hydrometeorology Center of Russia, the following dynamics of water inflows to the major reservoirs is expected in the 2^nd quarter of 2015:

• water inflow to the major reservoirs of the Volgo-Kama cascade is expected to be 15-40% lower than normal; water inflow to the Kuibyshevskoe, Kamskoye, Votkinskoe reservoirs – close to normal; total water inflow to major reservoirs of the Volgo-Kama cascade in the 2^nd quarter is expected to be 108-118 km³ as compared to the average of 161 km³, total water inflow from April to December – 172-193 km³ as compared to the average of 236 km³;
• water inflow to the reservoirs of hydropower plants located in the North Caucasus is expected to be close or slightly lower than long-run average;
• water inflow to major reservoirs of Siberia is expected to be close to normal;
• water inflow to the Zeyskoe reservoir is expected to close normal; to the Kolymskoe reservoir will remain high – 1.2-1.7x higher than normal.