Kirill Chernovol, Researcher at the Gaidar Institute's International Best Practices Analysis Department, assessed the situation with the electricity deficit in Russia in a commentary for Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
"Overall, Russia has a reserve of energy production, but there is also a need to create new capacity and extend the life of existing resources. According to preliminary results for 2025, the Unified Energy System (UES) generated 1,166.4 billion kWh and consumed 1,161.2 billion kWh. The difference is about 5.2 billion kWh, or approximately 5.2 terawatt-hours. This means that, on average, the country produces slightly more energy than it consumes," the expert noted. At the same time, he stressed that the problem of deficit remains acute due to structural constraints: “Demand is growing unevenly, and the energy system has a simple physical limitation: electricity cannot be ‘transferred’ anywhere if there are no networks with the necessary capacity,” explained Kirill Chernovol.
The expert added that a number of territories, including Chukotka, Sakhalin, and Kamchatka, are not connected to the UES at all. To solve the problem, he said, the industry is being developed within the framework of the “Scheme and Program for the Development of Electric Power Systems” approved by the Ministry of Energy. "For 2025-2030, the commissioning of 17,341.4 MW of new generating capacity is planned: 3,850 MW at nuclear power plants, 7,876.2 MW at thermal power plants (including 5,354.2 MW on gas and 2,095.0 MW on coal), 1,091.4 MW at hydroelectric power plants, and 4,523.8 MW in the wind and solar generation segment," Kirill Chernovol listed.
The expert also noted that Rosatom is replacing aging units in the nuclear power industry. "At the end of 2025, the first power unit of the Kursk NPP-2 was synchronized with the power grid, and at the Leningrad NPP, the commissioning of two new power units is planned for 2030 and 2032. In thermal power generation, the construction of a 480 MW combined cycle power unit at the Kashirskaya GRES site has been approved by the end of 2030, and by 2031, more than 40 GW of equipment is expected to be replaced and reconstructed," the expert said.