In the first quarter of 2021, total electricity generation in Russia increased by 4.9% year-on-year to 308.3 billion kWh, according to the recent issue of AK&M Information Agency's "RUSSIAN INDUSTRIES: PRODUCTION, FINANCE, SECURITIES. Electric Power Industry" monthly paper (No. 1419) dated April 21, 2021.
Excluding the leap year 2020 effect (February 29), the 3-month electricity output across Russia increased by 6% year-on-year. Electricity consumption in Russia increased by 3.9% to 301.5 billion kWh. Excluding the leap year 2020 effect, 3-month consumption across Russia as a whole increased by 5%. In March alone, Russia generated 102.3 billion kWh of electricity (+6.6% year-on-year). Electricity consumption in Russia reached 100.1 billion kWh in March growing by 5.2% YoY.
In 2020, renewable energy accounted for 82% of the world's new power generation capacity versus 73% a year earlier. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), construction of most powerful ever renewable energy capacities in 2020 was largely financed by investments from China and the U.S. In particular, China installed more than half of the world's new renewable generation capacities, 136 GW, while the United States commissioned renewable energy driven facilities with a capacity of 29 GW (almost +80% YoY).
In January-February 2021, electricity exports from Russia increased by 74.7% year-on-year to 4.194 billion kWh, according to data from the Federal Customs Service. Electricity imports for the same period advanced 28.2% YoY in physical terms, 8.9% in value terms. According to current data of the Central Dispatching Department of the Fuel and Energy Complex 3-month electricity exports from Russia soared 2.4 times YoY to 6.5 billion kWh. In March alone, electricity exports jumped 5.5 times YoY to reach 2.2 billion kWh. No electricity imports into Russia were registered in March, according to the Central Dispatching Department of the Fuel and Energy Complex.
Russia put power unit 6 of the Leningrad nuclear power plant (NPP) with a VVER-1200 reactor unit into commercial operation. Now the total number of nuclear power units in Russia has increased to 38. By the launch of commercial operation power unit No. 6 of the Leningrad NPP had generated about 2 billion kWh of electricity. The new power unit will completely substitute power unit No. 2 with a RBMK-1000 high-power channel-type reactor, which completely shut down in November 2020 after 45 years of service.
In March-April 2021, renewable energy accounted for 0.50-0.70% of the total generation in the European part of Russia, 0.15-031% in Siberia, according to NP Market Council Association. Taking Russia as a whole, the contribution of renewable energy was 0.41% in March 2021 (0.22% in March 2020). It should be noted that according to the Federal Statistics Service, the wind energy output increased many times since April 2020; in March, it surpassed the peak solar power generation levels seen in August 2020.
An in-depth segment review is provided in issue 1419 of the "RUSSIAN INDUSTRIES: PRODUCTION, FINANCE, SECURITIES. Electric Power Industry" monthly paper dated April 21, 2021.
