Industry regulators fear accidents at thermal power plants with imported turbines during the transition to Russian control systems
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As Kommersant found out, industry regulators are afraid of possible emergency situations at thermal power plants with imported turbines during the transition to Russian control systems. “System Operator” proposes to replace foreign software at thermal power plants with a capacity of 25 GW gradually and only after thorough testing. The Ministry of Energy claims that all fuel and energy companies have begun the transition to Russian software. Analysts agree that simultaneous replacement of key systems on turbines can reduce the quality of their operation and even lead to accidents.
The “system operator” (SO, energy system dispatcher) is concerned about the sudden import substitution of software at thermal power plants with foreign turbines, industry sources told Kommersant. According to them, the most pressing issue is the replacement of automatic control systems (ACS) of imported turbines, which control the technological parameters of the machine by collecting data from sensors. The CO fears that the installation of third-party systems may negatively affect the operation of the equipment. Possible consequences include: a decrease in the speed of turbine power generation and deterioration in the operation of emergency automation.
In March 2022, President Vladimir Putin signed decree No. 166 “On measures to ensure the technological independence and security of the critical information infrastructure (CII) of the Russian Federation,” which should accelerate the transition of industry to Russian software and radio electronics. The transition may be completed by the end of 2029, as follows from the current government decree No. 1912.
The CO suggests changing the ATS gradually. The regulator asked generating companies to provide plans for repairs and replacement of software, as well as to test Russian software to check its effect on the characteristics of turbines, Kommersant’s interlocutors say.
The CO explained to Kommersant that information about repair plans for the installation of Russian software and hardware systems is important “to ensure sufficient generating capacity for reliable energy supply to consumers.” Simultaneous mass withdrawal of genetic equipment from operation is impossible. Replacing software and hardware systems “may take several months,” the CO clarifies. It makes economic sense to carry out the replacement along with other repairs, so as not to remove power for a longer period.
The Ministry of Energy told Kommersant that all fuel and energy companies with critical infrastructure have begun the transition to domestic solutions for all classes of software. Before putting into operation, the software is tested, they noted. The Ministry of Digital Development reported that they have not received any requests from generating companies for this class of software, but are ready to consider them.
The capacity of power units with imported turbines in the Russian Federation, according to CO estimates, is about 25 GW. In total, more than 250 gas turbines of the Siemens, General Electric, Alstom, etc. brands are installed in the country, the service of which has been stopped due to sanctions. The lion’s share of the machines continues to work: according to CO, generating companies last year put a maximum of 542 MW per month into cold reserve to save resources.
Kommersant’s interlocutors say that generating companies are trying to apply Russian control systems at thermal power plants. Among Russian developers, Inkont, Tekon, Elara and Prosoft are engaged in this. However, the key problem is the shortage of Russian-made microelectronics. Generating companies do not officially comment on the topic. RusHydro told Kommersant that they are “intensively working on import substitution of software.”
The ACS is responsible for controlling the operating modes of the installation in accordance with the current electrical load; dozens of parameters are monitored, primarily rotor speed, blade temperature, oil pressure, etc., says independent analyst Yuri Melnikov. According to him, if critical parameters exceed acceptable limits, it can lead to a serious accident. Ekaterina Artemenkova from Kept notes that possible difficulties when switching to domestic control systems are ensuring compatibility of operation while maintaining the quality of control and operational characteristics of the turbine. For such key systems, it is important to thoroughly test new software and fine-tune it, as well as phased replacement to eliminate all risks, she emphasizes.
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