Developers and thermal power engineers discussed tariffs and problems of connection to the grid

The MOEK Thermal Power Company, developers and representatives of the Moscow City Hall discussed a number of topical issues in the field of technological connection to the heat supply system and the centralized hot water supply system. The business meeting was organized by the unified center of responsibility for connecting consumers to the heating networks of PJSC "MOEK" – the organization "TSTP MOEK".

One of the key topics was the change in fees for technological connection when adjusting the timing of capital construction, the connected load, or building parameters under an existing connection agreement. MOEK's right to review connection fees in the event of a change in construction conditions is confirmed by legislative acts, connection rules established in the Russian Federation, as well as established judicial practice at the Supreme Court level.

"Any significant change in construction conditions leads to changes in the cost of connecting facilities. It will require work, the cost of which, for economic reasons, cannot be the same as for the work and, most importantly, the equipment 18 months ago," said Tatiana Kazakevich, Head of the Department of Technological Connections at PJSC MOEK.

One of the proposals aimed at simplifying the procedure for joining the networks was the conclusion of contracts with individual fees based on a preliminary estimate. This approach involves the use of a preliminary individual fee, which will be calculated on the basis of consolidated estimates, analog facilities or standard solutions. Currently, the connection fee based on the results of the design work may differ significantly from the fee set by the regulator, and its installation takes from 3 to 12 months. The meeting participants agreed that the introduction of the process of setting individual fees would shorten and optimize the time for concluding a technological connection agreement, which would ultimately speed up the connection as a whole.

Also during the meeting, representatives of MOEK drew the attention of developers to an innovation in Moscow's tariff regulation for 2025 – the abolition of the preferential rate for connecting low–load facilities to heating networks – up to 0.1 Gcal - which had been in effect for five years. As noted in the company, the preferential rate turned out to be ineffective and at the same time created an additional burden for the resource-supplying organization.

During the meeting, the issues of providing heat supply to developers' facilities during the Integrated development of the territory and the possibility of submitting a comprehensive application for connection to the heat supply were also discussed.

"We are interested in creating conditions for the sustainable development of relations between heat supply organizations and consumers, therefore, the most relevant legislative innovations and changes in the mechanism of technological connection to heating networks have been put up for discussion. We are confident that this opportunity to develop a unified approach to understanding regulatory documents ultimately improves the investment and business climate and increases the transparency of the connection procedure, making our work more efficient," said Tatiana Kazakevich.