Other Energy Resources in North-West Russia

In addition to the natural gas and oil reserves of north-west Russia, significant volumes of other energy resources are found in the region. One of the main energy resources is coal, deposits of which are located mainly in the Republic of Komi. Together, the Pechora Basin and Svalbard - where Russia has the right to mine coal - are estimated to have coal reserves of more than 10 billion tons. The Republic of Komi alone has estimated reserves of 8.5 billion tonnes, 45% of this being high quality coking coal.

North-west Russia, and in particular the Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Republic of Karelia, also possesses large peat reserves, which so far remain practically unexploited. These reserves can be used to improve the energy situations of deficit regions which today are dependent on fuel imports. In the Republic of Karelia, the estimated potential bioenergy for peat and wood wastes equals approximately 0.31 TWh, the technical resources being 0.28 TWh. The peatland area which is industrially usable in the Republic of Karelia has a surface area of about 700,000 hectares. In the Arkhangelsk Oblast, there are 474.9 million tons of peat reserves.

North-west Russia also has undeveloped hydropower potential, especially in the Republic of Karelia and in the Murmansk Oblast. Wind, solar, and tidal power potential also remain largely unexploited. More information on the non-fossil fuels energy resources of the Russian parts of the Barents Region can be found on the homepage of the Barents Council ad hoc Working Group on Energy.

The Murmansk Oblast has considerable water resources, with estimated annual new hydropower potential of 9.3 TWh (billion kWh) in 28 small rivers. The technical resources are estimated at 3.0 TWh. The electricity generation of the Oblast is already highly dependent on the its 17 hydropower plants which have a combined installed capacity of about 1,600 MW. Furthermore, there are also hundreds of potential dam sites within the area which are suitable for small-size hydropower plants. Small hydropower plants have been planned to provide remote regions with power There are also significant tidal wave potential along the northern coast. Potential resources are estimated at 65 TWh, and technical resources at 42 TWh. However, due to the cyclical character of the tidal waves, their utilisation should be supplemented by river hydropower stations.

The total potential bio-energy resources (peat and wood wastes) are estimated at 0.31 TWh annually, of which the technical resources are approximately 0.28 TWh. In spite of the available resources, peat is not exploited due to unfavourable climate conditions. By using western technology and equipment, wood wastes could be used as additional resources for electricity and heat generation.

There is a considerable potential for wind power resources, too. The main areas suitable for wind power stations are the coastal waters of the Barents Sea and the Kola Fjord area. Plans have been made for a large-capacity wind power plant on Kiljdin Island, and a smaller unit on Harlova Island. The potential resources are estimated at 21 TWh, and the technical resources at 0.8 TWh. Estimated potential of solar energy is 11 TWh, and the technical potential is estimated at 1.0 TWh. Several wind power development projects are underway in the Murmansk Oblast, including collaboration with the Finnish State Technical Research Centre (VTT). The potential renewable energy resources in the Murmansk Oblast are shown in the Table below.

Potential Renewable Energy Resources in the Murmansk Oblast

There is no fossil fuel exploration in the Murmansk Oblast today, and the region’s fuel and power industry is dependent on outside fuel deliveries. Coal and oil products are delivered to different consumers of the region either directly from the producers or through wholesale organisations. Many of the suppliers are located a long way from the end users. As the transport system is poorly developed, there are many problems with fuel supplies, and it is often difficult to arrange the delivery of orders on time. Due to the lack of fuel, there have often been threats of shutdowns of power and boiler plants.

The main fuel used for power and heat generation in the Murmansk Oblast is heavy fuel oil (mazut). Other oil products which are used in the region include marine fuel oil, diesel oil, ordinary and aviation petroleum as well as kerosene. Oil products are supplied to the Murmansk Oblast mainly from the Yaroslavl, Riazan, Perm, Leningrad, Volgograd, and Nizhni Novgorod regions as well as from the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Republic of Komi. Mazut is delivered mainly from the Yaroslavl area and the Republic of Komi (Ukhta refinery). There are no oil trunklines to the Murmansk Oblast in operation at the moment, and thus oil products are delivered mainly by railway.

Coal is delivered to the Murmansk Oblast mainly from the Republic of Komi, in addition to which so-called arctic coal from Spitsbergen is used in the region. The main consumer of coal in the Murmansk Oblast is the Kirovsk combined heat and power plant. Coal is delivered to this plant by rail. Arctic coal is delivered by ship to the region, and then transported by train to Kirovsk.

In the eastern areas of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, there are several coal deposits. The present estimate of resources is 215 million tons, of which 50 million tons is coking coal. In addition to the coal, the Arkhangelsk Oblast is also rich in peat.

The north-eastern part of the Arkhangelsk Oblast has significant hydropower potential, up to 4,340 MW, mainly due to heavy river flow and medium-size absolute fall of the water. However, most of the potential cannot be utilised for ecological reasons.

There is also significant tidal power potential on the Barents Sea coast. The estimate for the Lumbovsky Bay is 1.3 TWh per year, and in the Mezensky Bay of the White Sea, there is a theoretical potential of up to 50 TWh. According to an estimate of the Kola Science Centre, it is also possible to install wind power facilities in the coastal area of the Barents Region, with a total set power of 590 MW and an annual productivity up to 1.77 TWh of electric energy.

The Regional Government has ordered a study from the Kola Science Centre on the possibilities of using renewable energy resources in the Arkhangelsk Oblast. Hydropower potential has not been utilised at all, and wind power has only been used in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. There are also 474.9 million tons of peat reserves in the area, but no peat power plants. A marked improvement in the energy situation of the region could be achieved by energy conservation measures, but, as elsewhere in Russia, the biggest problem is the lack of resources for investment in new facilities.

The main power plant projects concentrating on the development of non-fossil fuels energy resources put forward by fuel and energy sector officials in the Arkhangelsk Oblast are the following:

• Peat Heat and Power Plants. Plans have been made for peat power plants in several locations. In Dvinskoi Bereznik, a heating capacity of 40 Gcal/h and a power generation capacity of 20 MW is planned. In Shengursk the corresponding figures are 30 Gcal/h and 30 MW, and in Kargopol they are 50 Gcal/h and 6 MW. The construction of these plants would lead to decreased reliance on imported fuels.

• Wind Power Plants. Feasibility studies have been conducted on 4 projects in the Arkhangelsk Oblast. In Mezen the planned power generation capacity is 12 MW, the costs have been estimated to be 21.1 million USD, including the construction of a transmission line, and the estimated payback time is 6 years. The corresponding figures for the Solovetsky Islands are 1.5 MW, 4.5 m USD (including transmission line), and 10 years. For the planned Koida units, the corresponding figures are 0.75 MW, 3.7 m USD, and 10 years. A project on wind power utilisation in Zolotitsa includes 0.27 MW of planned installed capacity.

• Hydropower plants. The construction of large hydropower stations is not considered a feasible alternative for developing the energy infrastructure of the region. Feasibility studies are, however, being made on the construction of small units in sparsely-populated areas outside the main grid. The potential annual hydropower production of the whole region is estimated to be 24 TWh.

Traditional local fuel resources of Karelia are peat and wood. All other fuels have to be imported from other parts of Russia and the CIS countries. Domestic energy resources also include hydropower, solar power and wind power.

Hydro-energetic resources make up more that 80% of the potential domestic energy sources. It has been estimated that the total hydropower potential of the Karelian rivers is more than 13 TWh annually, and the feasible potential is 4.9 TWh. Currently, approximately 60% of the feasible hydropower potential is used for electricity generation.

The peat reserves are very large in Karelia. According to recent estimates, the reserves amount to 2,014 million tons. The industrially usable peat land area is about 700,000 hectares, out of which only 40% has been preliminarily studied.

The peat lands in Karelia are divided so that the most water-logged, least accessible peat lands are situated in the northern districts of Louhi, Kalevala, Kem, and Kostomuksha. Together, these peat lands which are difficult to exploit make up some 40% of the total peat resources in Karelia. The second category of peat lands consists of a middle belt of mosaic mire massifs of around 100-200 hectares each with a thin upper horizon of high-moor peat and water-logger lower layers which often have a high ash content. These peat lands are situated in Belomorsk, Muezerski, Segezha, and the northern parts of Medvezhyegorsk and Suojärvi. These peat land make up some 38% of total peat resources in Karelia, and have some limited opportunities for exploitation. The third category of peat lands consists of a smaller southern belt of extensively drained marshes and bogs in the southern parts of Medvezhyegorsk and Suojärvi, as well as in the districts of Lahdenpohja, Sortavala, Pitkäranta, Pryazha, Petrozavodsk, Kondopoga, and Pudozh. These peat lands present the best opportunities for exploitation, for example in heat and power production.

Wood is currently used as heating fuel in rural areas. At the moment, fuel wood collection and production is not organised. The mechanical wood processing industry produces, however, large amounts of wood residue, which is used for electricity production in pulp and paper industries. Some pulp and paper plants also use sulphate alkaline for thermal and electric energy generation.

In the future, the importance of domestic fuel and energy resources will increase. Peat, wood residue and hydropower utilisation will be developed. The importance of natural gas is also expected to increase. In addition, there are plans to construct industrial and central heating power plants, as well as to reconstruct old units. There are also opportunities for solar energy, wind power, and for tidal power in some areas of the White Sea coast.

Hydropower is currently considered the most important domestic source of power in Karelia. The Karelian Scientific Centre has estimated that the total hydropower potential of water systems in Karelia is more than 13,000 GWh/a. Technical potential is estimated at 7,400 GWh/a, and economic potential at 6,600 GWh/a. Feasible potential, which is calculated by taking into account other uses of the rivers such as fishing, is estimated as 4,900 GWh/a. In 1996, 2,746 GWh of electricity was generated by hydropower plants.

A hydropower utilisation programme has also been drawn up by Lengidroprojekt, specifying the utilisation of 40 hydropower plants with a total capacity of 430 MW, and an output of 1,670 GWh. The plan includes the construction of new plants as well as the upgrading of existing facilities. The main hydropower projects at the moment are the Beloporozshkaya, Morskaya, Hämekoski (Hyamekoski), and Harlu (Kharlu) plants. Small plants (under 10 MW) were planned for the Suna, Vyg, Nyucha, and Shuya rivers. According to the programme, the plants in western Karelia and Kondopoga are to be reconstructed.

Peat resources could be used in thermal power plants such as those in Olonets, Kostamuksha, and Medvezhegorsk. Peat could also be used as fuel in smaller power plants. The peatland area which is industrially usable has a surface area of about 700,000 hectares.

Wood is currently used mainly for heating purposes in remote areas and electricity production in some pulp and paper factories. Wood residues could also be used in mechanical wood-processing plants.

The bulk of coal imports come from the Pechora basin, located in the Republic of Komi. Most of the oil imports into Karelia come from the Kirishi refinery in the Leningrad Oblast. An 820 mm gas pipeline has recently been constructed to Petrozavodsk from Volkhov in the Leningrad Oblast.

The Republic of Komi does not utilise other energy sources than oil, gas, and coal on a large scale. Although there is scope for some small hydropower development as well as peat utilisation, hydrocarbons are very likely to continue to supply the majority of Komi's energy in the near future.

Coal is produced mainly in the Pechora coal region which has five deposits under exploitation. Four of the deposits (Vorkuta, Halmer-Yu, Yunyaga, and Vorgashor) produce coking coal, and the fifth, Inta, produces coal suitable for heat and power plants. In all, there are 18 coal mines in Komi. The majority of coal mines are concentrated aruond Vorkuta. The share of Komi in total Russian coal production has been under 10%, as a little over 20 million tons of coal has been produced annually in the Republic. The coal industry in Komi has severe financial difficulties due to high production and transportation costs as well as the declining market for coal. Although Komi still has large coal reserves to be exploited, many coal mining communities are facing growing emigration and the closure of mines.