Sun, Wind and Water

At a meeting with journalists ahead of the forthcoming ministerial conference “Energy in the Changing World”, co-sponsored by the Russian Ministry of Energy and Industry and UNESCO, Sergei Mikhailov said that Russia had a colossal potential for saving energy, estimated at 270 million tons of conventional fuel units.

He spoke about the measures being prepared by the Russian Government to make the Russian economy more energy-efficient. For example, the draft federal law On Renewable Energy Sources provides for work in the field of solar energy, tidal stations and small hydroelectric stations. The spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Energy noted that the use of available natural potential can make a significant contribution to liquidating energy poverty.

Sergei Mikhailov also said he expected that the Duma would promptly adopt a new draft of the law On Energy Saving which proposes a number of measures to encourage more effective energy use. In particular, standards of energy consumption for economic entities will be introduced while at the same time urging the state to assist programs to enhance the energy efficiency of enterprises.