In August 2009 Russia adopted its new energy strategy until 2030. It states that the country will firstly increase the production of oil and gas, and not until 2022 will turn towards the use of renewable energy resources. The revision of the old strategy has become necessary due to the global economic and financial crisis. I asked Maria Belowa, Head of Department at the Institute for energy economy and finance in Moscow, about the current role of alternative energy resources in the Russian Federation.

The newly adopted energy strategy of Russia allows for the increase of alternative energy resources only in the period between 2022 and 2030. Russia doesn’t seem to care much about renewable energy resources.

Frankly speaking, the renewable energy resources do not play a significant role in our energy strategy at the moment and are not going to play a significant role until 2030. The share of energy from renewable energy sources will be between five and ten percent. For a country like Russia with its huge fossil fuels like oil and gas it might be reasonable not to invest too much money in renewable energy.

Which renewable energy resources might be suitable for Russia?

In terms of solar and wind energy there are no appropriate territories for solar and wind parks in Russia. Hydro power is the only suitable renewable energy resource, and we use it. Another possibility would be simply a nuclear renaissance. But due to the global financial and economic crisis, I don’t think there will be nuclear renaissance in Russia. And there is also a part in the strategy paper that is devoted to energy efficiency which is quite a popular issue in Russia at the moment. However, there is currently no significant public discussion about alternative energies in Russia.

What will be Russia’s position at the climate summit in Copenhagen in December regarding the reduction of polluting emissions?

Due to Russia’s influence on climate change concerning fossil fuels we are ready to accept requirements to reduce CO2 emissions. But we must not forget: since the collapse of the Soviet Union we have already done a great job in decreasing CO2 emissions. In Copenhagen we will also check the possibilities of further increasing energy efficiency. There is still a wide scope for that issue. A decree of the Russian president in July announced that we should increase energy efficiency. So we should!