OREANDA-NEWS. On 05 August 2008 was announced, that president of IES-Holding Mikhail Slobodin took part in a press-conference of the Nonprofit Partnership Council of Power Producers on the occasion of the state registration of the Nonprofit Partnership Council of Power Producers and Power Industry Strategic Investors in the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation and the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation on July 22, 2008.

The Nonprofit Partnership Foundation Memorandum was signed in December of last year, and on April 22, 2008 the meeting of the Partnership founders was held. The Partnership was called Council of Power Producers and Power Industry Strategic Investors. The Nonprofit Partnership was founded by the largest foreign and Russian companies operating in the Russian electric power industry. The founders are LLC EvroSibEnergo, E.On Russia Power, CJSC IES, OJSC WGC-3, OJSC WGC-5 (Enel), OJSC SUEK and OJSC YuGC-TGC-8. 

Creation of the Nonprofit Partnership Council of Power Producers was brought about by changes in the system of state control over the industry, completion of the process of creating a free competitive market, and strengthening of state control in natural monopolies. The Partnership was founded to solve system and strategic problems rather than commercial issues. The main goals of the Nonprofit Partnership are development of the power industry and reduction of risks for investors in the Russian power industry. For this purpose the Partnership will collaborate with public authorities, infrastructure and international organizations, participate in law elaboration and development of the power and fuel market. The priority tasks of the Nonprofit Partnership include development of the power market, retail market, development of the system for engineering personnel training, creation of an analytic base to forecast power consumption in the Russian Federation, support for R&D in the power industry, development of the institutional and market bases for Kyoto Protocol mechanisms, etc.

Nowadays working groups have been created from among the partnership founders to work on current issues, in particular, "On development of the power market", "On fuel provision", "On issues of personnel training and social policy", "On the retail market development", "On environmental issues", "On technologic safety" etc.

Any large producer operating in the Russian Federation with an output of at least five billion kWh per annum may join the Partnership. The Articles of Association of the Partnership have been adopted, the collegial management body - Supervisory Board comprising seven members - has been elected and is functioning.

Industry organizations of power producers exist in many Western countries with developed power market. For example the New England Power Generators Association (NEPGA) and Electrical Power Supply Association (EPSA) operate in the USA, Association of Energy Producers (AEP) - in Britain, Independent Power Producers of British Columbia (IPPBC) in Canada.