The 2009 growth in electricity generation was due to a number of factors, including:
• productive use of higher than normal winter and autumn inflow into the reservoirs of the Volga-Kama Cascade of HPPs and the Sayano-Sushenskaya HPP (until the accident on 17 August 2009);
• higher HPP load during the high water period (Zhigulevskaya HPP);
• above-balance generation by the Far Eastern HPPs in connection with supplies of electricity to China;
• commissioning of new capacity and successful implementation of the technical modernization and rehabilitation programme for existing HPPs.
The 2009 rise in electricity output resulted from both higher generation and successful implementation of an energy-saving programme.
The greatest increment in 2009 electricity production was achieved by the HPP’s in the south of Russia including the Northern Caucasus region — by 7.9% up to 7,863 million kWh.
The RusHydro Group subsidiaries located in the central regions of European Russia generated 41,372 million kWh of electricity in 2009, which is 1.7% more than in 2008.
In 2009, RusHydro’s production in the Russian Far East and Siberia rose by 0.25% to reach 32,370 million kWh.