Belarus-Russia joint electricity market operation rules getting ready for signing

MOGILEV, 10 November (BelTA) – Rules to regulate the operation of the joint electricity market of Belarus and Russia are getting ready for signing. Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich mentioned it at a session of the Energy and Transport Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia in Mogilev, BelTA has learned.

A draft interstate agreement on setting up the joint market of electricity has gone through virtually all the intrastate procedures. It will be forwarded for consideration of the governments soon. The document determines the authority of state administration bodies and infrastructure organizations and identifies the entities that will operate on the market.

Approaches to using common regulatory principles concerning natural monopolies have been reconciled with regard to electricity industry as well as unified tariffs on their services as participants of domestic markets and participants of the joint market.

According to Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich, out of the 28 Union State programs three programs focus on energy industry. The relevant government agencies of Belarus and Russia are working to realize them. The draft interstate agreement to introduce joint electricity market operation rules is nearly ready, he mentioned.

Taking part in the Energy and Transport Commission's work were representatives of the Standing Committee of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, representatives of Belarusian and Russian government agencies, municipal authorities of Mogilev Oblast and Russia's Bryansk Oblast. Participants of the session discussed progress in developing the nuclear energy industry in Belarus and Russia, progress in setting up the joint markets of natural gas and electricity. Progress in executing the Union State budget for the year 2022 and the development of the draft budget for the year 2023 was also reviewed as well as the state and prospects of cooperation between Mogilev Oblast and Bryansk Oblast.