OREANDA-NEWS. IDGC of Centre summed up the work to reduce accounts receivable in 2015. The Company implemented a set of measures to repay debts, in cooperation with heads of the regions of its activity, with use of the potential of the created by the initiative of PJSC "Rosseti" commissions to monitor payments to electricity companies, and within the framework of consistently performed claim-related work.

These measures have brought the expected results. Thus, the provider of last resort of the Belgorod region, OJSC "Belgorodenergosbyt", since the beginning of 2015 has decreased the level of overdue receivables by 226.5 million rubles, including differences with IDGC of Centre in the amount of 59.3 million rubles have been resolved. More than 200 million rubles of overdue debt were repaid by one of the largest independent sales companies in Russia PJSC GC "TNS Energo", a supplier of last resort in the Voronezh and Yaroslavl regions. One hundred percent rate of payment was provided by the suppliers of last resort LLC "TEK Energo" and INTER RAO–Orel energy distribution, LLC.

Such actions of contractors in many ways were a response to a constructive approach which the grid company took in relation to the debtors. In particular, IDGC of Centre in advance informed them of introducing stricter liability law innovations that entered into force in December with the adoption of Federal Law № 307-FZ, thus providing the ability to repay the remaining at the end of 2015 debt without paying fines and penalties.

Specialists of the legal unit of IDGC of Centre throughout 2015 in the process of claim-related work managed to collect 2.075 billion rubles from defaulters.

However, despite these efforts, the total volume of receivables of IDGC of Centre at the end of 2015 increased by 17.5%, from 19.4 billion rubles to 22.8 billion rubles, including overdue – by more than 23 %, from 9.9 billion rubles to 12.9 billion rubles. The negative dynamics was provided first of all by heavily indebted companies from the number of operating suppliers of last resort, JSC "Atomenergosbyt" (a subsidiary under the control of the State Corporation "Rosatom" CJSC "Rosenergoatom Concern"). Since spring 2014 the company acts as a supplier of last resort in the Kursk, Smolensk and Tver regions, where IDGC of Centre operates, and during this time its overdue receivables have been steadily growing. So on 01.01.2015 it amounted to 0.6 billion rubles, on 01.07.2015 - 0.9 billion rubles and on 01.01.2016 -2.4 billion rubles.

At the beginning of 2016 the share of "Atomenergosbyt" in the total debt of working suppliers of last resort of IDGC of Centre was 34%. In total, the company filed against "Atomenergosbyt" 113 claims totalling 825 million rubles.

However, when at the end of January General Director of "Atomenergosbyt" Igor Bykov left his post, the situation began to change dramatically. The new company management, and also involved to the process of settlement of receivables representatives of Rosenergoatom in a constructive dialogue with IDGC of Centre developed an interaction plan to address disputable problems. In particular, "Atomenergosbyt" repaid 2.7 billion rubles of the receivable, accounting for 66% of the total amount of its debt to IDGC of Centre at the beginning of 2016.

In turn, IDGC of Centre expressed its willingness to assist "Atomenergosbytu" in implementing such a mechanism of influence under the legislation on unscrupulous consumers as limiting their power supply to the level of emergency reservation that ensures the safety of people's lives, safety of systems and equipment, but does not allow a technological process. It is expected that this measure will let "Atomenergosbyt" provide a higher level of collection of funds, and as a result will repay to IDGC of Centre faster.

However, despite the marked positive dynamics, the problem of repayment of receivables by suppliers of last resort to IDGC of Centre is still relevant, since they account for the principal amount of debt. This situation jeopardizes the reliability of electricity supply of all 11 subjects of the Central Federal District, where IDGC of Centre works, as the funds levied from defaulters, the grid company uses primarily towards financing the core industrial activities, which is especially important due to the reduction in recent years of sources of their investment because of the crisis. The debts also prevent from implementing strategic energy projects. Thus, the presence of large amounts of debt at the end of 2015 led to delays in the payment of IDGC of Centre for services of PJSC "FGC UES", whose experts were involved in the operation of the energy bridge to the Crimea peninsula in the conditions of a blackout made by Ukrainian radicals.

IDGC of Centre is going to continue the work consistently to collect receivables. At the beginning of the year in the courts of various levels there were 508 cases initiated by the legal unit of the company to collect debts totalling 11,875 billion rubles. Since January 2016 claims are formed already subject to the provisions of Federal Law № 307-FZ. Only the size of fines claimed from "Atomenergosbyt" to date amounted to about 47 million rubles.

At the same time, the company remains open to a constructive dialogue regarding development of effective mechanisms for debt repayment in view of the current macroeconomic situation, and in some cases real financial capacity of its counterparties.