Hot weather and the fuel market

Alexey Gromov, Principal Director on Energy studies at the Institute for Energy and Finance, commented to the Neft and Capital Internet portal on the energy supply in the South of Russia.

"As far as I know the policy of the Ministry of Energy regarding energy security, energy and fuel supply facilities are protected from possible outages. Fuel bases and refineries are objects of strategic importance. Especially now (in terms of the special military operation) and especially in the south of Russia. All these facilities will be affected by rolling blackouts, if at all, then last of all," Alexey Gromov said.

The expert admitted that with heavy loads on the grid in the south of Russia, industrial enterprises may suffer due to power outages. However, this does not apply to compressor stations and oil pipelines, because their shutdown can lead to serious consequences and serious technological accidents.

According to Gromov, a combination of factors makes the southern regions of Russia one of the fastest growing in terms of population. There is also an increase in industrial indicators. All this adds up to an increased load on the power grid, especially in conditions of abnormal heat. At the same time, the infrastructure in the south of the Russian Federation did not receive additional development. There is modernization and repair of existing facilities, but new power plants have not been built for a long time.

There comes a time when in the south of Russia, it is necessary to deal with this issue before the problem worsens. Now the facilities important for the operation of the fuel market are provided with energy. But, as the analyst noted, it still cannot be considered a normal situation when rolling blackouts occur in Russia, the world's leading energy power, due to high temperatures.