Russian-Norwegian seminar on energy efficiency in Arkhangelsk
Representatives form local Russian and Norwegian companies and organizations working in the spheres of development and implementation of innovative energy-efficient and energy-saving technologies met at the round table to get acquainted with each other and find the most promising ways for future cooperation.
Russian participants of the seminar told about the measures that are taken in the Arkhangelsk Oblast to increase energy efficiency of the local economy and meet the challenges of maximum possible use of the region’s energy resources. Among those measures the establishment of the specialized “Regional Centre for Energy-saving” was mentioned. The Centre is involved in solving many problems related to energy saving and increase of energy efficiency. Another measure is a long-term target program “Energy saving and increase of energy efficiency in the Arkhangelsk Oblast for 2010-2020” adopted by the regional Government. Total volume of financing for the program will be 10 billion rubles. Its practical result by 2020 will be GDP energy intensity around 43%. This will make it possible to improve investment attractiveness of the Pomor Land, will make local products more competitive and will improve environmental situation in the region. In this respect the Oblast is interested in applying innovative experience form the Northern European countries.
It is obvious that the Russian business should be most motivated to implement innovative European energy saving technologies. Companies have to take relevant measures because of high energy tariffs, otherwise they are at risk to lose their position on the market. The more a company is working on energy efficiency, the more competitive it is. Mr. Alexey Subbotin, the Head of the External relations and development department in the Arkhangelsk Chamber of Industry and Commerce, noted that “the money spent for energy efficiency pays back always and rather quickly”.
The Norwegian experience and competence in the sphere of energy efficiency were presented by the experts from Norsec, Enerconsult, and Science Park of Narvik. In their presentations, among other things, they spoke about necessity to perform energy inspection of facilities before implementation of energy saving technologies. The speakers gave examples how their technologies can help to identify energy losses and failures in the work of energy equipment at different types of facilities, including social objects. According to the Norwegian experts the Russian sector has a huge potential, and the Norwegian companies are very much interested to promote their products and technologies to the Russian market, but on this way they still have to meet some challenges and obstacles. Implementation of the pilot project to install energy monitoring equipment in the Park Inn Hotel (Murmansk) and shopping centre “Petrovsky” (Arkhangelsk) will show already in September 2011, to what extent Norwegian technologies may be applied in Russia.
Russian-Norwegian energy efficiency project is also a good opportunity to establish and develop innovative cooperation between Russia and Norway, R&D infrastructure in the Northern (Arctic) Federal University being used as a platform for such cooperation.