06/05/2005 - A major first
step has been made in ensuring a clean energy
future for Russia. WWF Russia and RAO UES,
the Russian energy monopoly, have started
a dialogue on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions. Both sides pledged their support
to “keep the Russian Government out of coal”
at a seminar held outside of Moscow at the
end of last month.
RAO UES is the largest global emitter of CO2
with emissions of 450 Megatons per year –
that’s around half the emissions a country
like Germany produces. At present very few
among the Russian business elite are aware
of the dangers posed by climate change. According
to WWF Russia, RAO UES can help change this.
The seminar on 26 and 27 April was an important
step in raising awareness of the climate threat
and the available solutions among Russian
energy specialists and the general public.
The invited experts warned more than 120 top
managers from energy companies about the reality
of climate change and what business can do
to slow it. Coverage of the event in Russian
media has been huge.
WWF Russia identified RAO UES as a key player,
because the company has the independence and
power to resist the Russian government’s plans
to use dirty coal instead of natural gas as
the main fossil fuel for power generation.
More coal power would result in increasing
CO2 emissions, at a time when the world is
already heating up and suffering from the
impacts of climate change.
At present gas accounts for 53 percent of
the fuel used by RAO UES. Due to this high
share of gas and the wide use of efficient
technology, the company is one of the cleanest
large power companies. WWF’s Ranking Power
report, which analyzes these companies in
terms of their use, sale and investment in
renewable energy and highly efficient natural
gas, ranks RAO UES fifth of 72 companies.
According to Alexey Kokorin, coordinator
of WWF Russia’s Climate Change Program, RAO
UES is on the right path: “But fifth place
is not good enough, as the company can easily
reach third place and win the bronze medal
by increasing the share of renewable energies
from less than 1 percent to 5 percent in the
near future.”
Overall, there is still a long way to go
for RAO UES to make a real PowerSwitch! to
clean and efficient energy. However, a first
step has been made.
