OREANDA-NEWS. The Sverdlovsk Region Government and RAO "UES of Russia" have signed an Agreement on interaction in investment projects to build and upgrade the power facilities in the Sverdlovsk Region until 2011.

The Agreement is designed to improve the reliability of electricity supply to customers, create the conditions for new user connections to power grids and increase the capacity for the users already connected, prevent power shortages as electricity consumption grows, and ensure stability and further development of the region's economy and social infrastructure.

The Agreement envisages overall development of the generation and grid facilities in the Sverdlovsk Region on through use of advanced technologies.

In particular, it includes investment projects to build 3,195 MW of generating capacity by 2015, construct different voltage substations with 4,888 MVA of transformer capacity, about 900 km of bulk transmission lines and substations with 2,700 MVA of transformer capacity, and about 1,000 km of lines in the region's distribution networks.

The cost of the projects to be implemented under the Agreement is estimated at over RUB153 billion, of which RUB111.7 billion will be used to expand generation capacity and RUB41.6 billion will be invested in power grid facilities.