OREANDA-NEWS  On 28 November was announced, that all territorial generating companies integrated in IES-Holding obtained from the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation notices confirming their readiness to operate during winter. The readiness of TGC-5, TGC-6, TGC-7 and TGC-9 to provide reliable power supply and ensure stable operations during the autumn and winter period of 2008-2009 has been confirmed by special committees comprising representatives from the Ministry of Energy, RosTechNadzor, the System Operator and Technical Inspection Division of IES. Based on the results of the inspection the committees signed notices confirming the readiness of the territorial generating companies to operate during the winter period, based on which the generating companies can apply for and obtain certificates of readiness from the Ministry of Energy. 

The preparation of IES-Holding companies for the autumn and winter period of 2008-2009 had started as early as in April, before the previous heat season was over, and had been continuously monitored by the representatives of the operations sector. In July IES set up a special office headed by Andrey Shishkin, First Vice President of CJSC IES, Director for Operations, to monitor the preparations for the autumn and winter period,.  By August the divisions of IES that comprise the generating facilities of the territorial generating companies had completed more than fifty percent of the work planned. 

Activities aimed at preparing power facilities of IES-Holding for the autumn and winter period will ensure a maximum level of reliability and efficiency of power supply in 16 regions of the company's operation. During the 2008 maintenance program all primary generating equipment, namely: 350 turbines, 714 boilers (including 84 water heating boilers), was repaired according to the approved annual schedules. Expenditures on the overhaul and medium repairs of generating companies of IES (TGC-5, TGC-6, TGC-7 and TGC-9) alone amounted to RUR 8,587.4 million.

The preparation for the autumn and winter period included repairs of turbines with a total capacity of 3,114 MW, boilers with an overall performance of 29 thousand tons/hour, water heating boilers with a total capacity of 1,345 Gcal/hour, the relaying of 206.2 km of heat network. The focus was put on increasing the reliability and energy efficiency of the equipment: a number of the latest technologies were implemented, the heat networks were repaired with advanced materials.