Respondent: A. Lebedev, Doctor of Technical Sciences
- On June 18, a new high-tech plant for the production of gas turbine units was opened. What are the tasks facing the enterprise?
The main task is the introduction of gas turbine technologies in the Russian market and the maximum localization of production of large gas turbines with a capacity of 170, 300 MW for power plants operating in a steam-gas cycle.
I would suggest taking a step back and making a short excursion into history so that it would be clear where we came from, how the joint venture between Siemens and Power Machines was organized. It all started in 1991, when a joint venture was created - then still LMZ and Siemens - to assemble gas turbines. An agreement was signed on the transfer of technologies to the then Leningrad Metal Plant, which is now part of OJSC Power Machines. This joint venture has assembled 19 turbines in 10 years. Over the years, LMZ has accumulated production experience in order to learn how to not only assemble these turbines, but also make some components on their own.
Based on this experience, in 2001 a licensing agreement was concluded with Siemens for the rights of production, sales and after-sales service turbines of the same type. They received the Russian marking GTE-160. These are turbines that provide 160 MW, and in steam-gas units 450 MW, that is, this is essentially joint work gas turbine with steam turbines. And 35 such turbines GTE-160 were manufactured and sold under Siemens license, 31 of them for Russian market... They are widely used in St. Petersburg, in particular, at the North-Western CHPP, at the Yuzhnaya CHPP, Pravoberezhnaya CHPP, in Kaliningrad, in Southern Siberia, in Moscow, 6 such turbines operate in combined-cycle units. You can even say without false modesty that this is the most widespread gas turbine in Russian Federation today. It is a fact. No one has produced such a series of powerful gas turbines in such quantity.
And now, relying on this experience co-production, a new agreement was entered into and a new joint venture Siemens Gas Turbine Technologies was established. It happened more than three years ago, in December 2011. Now we will be producing turbines in our own factory. The tasks remain the same - to master production, achieve maximum localization and fit into the government's development program for import substitution.
- That is, in fact, you have become a competitor to Power Machines?
We are not competitors in terms of gas turbines. Because Power Machines has been producing only steam and hydraulic turbines since 2011. The entire gas turbine business with engineers, with continued execution of contracts, was transferred to a joint venture by Power Machines. We are 35 percent owned by Power Machines and 65 percent by Siemens. That is, we have entered this joint venture with the entire gas turbine part of Power Machines. In other words, we are business partners, not competitors.
— What is the differenceSiemens gas turbinesfrom domestic counterparts?
In this power class, the only example of domestic products is the Rybinsk turbine NPO Saturn - GTD-110 with a capacity of 110 MW. Today it is the most powerful turbine of its own production in the Russian Federation. Turbines up to 30 MW based on the conversion of aircraft engines are widely represented in Russia. There is a very wide field for competition here, and Russian products are the main ones in this power class. For large gas turbines, there is no such competitive product in Russia today. 110 MW is all there is, today 6 such units have been manufactured. On the part of the customer, there are certain complaints about their operation. Since it is in a certain sense a competitor, I would not want to comment on the results of its activities.
- What kind latest developments you are using?
All possible developments of the Siemens company. We are an enterprise that is mainly owned by this corporation, as a result of which we have access to both the documentation and all the results of research and development activities implemented in those gas turbines for which we have a license - these are 170 and 307 MW. Documents in the scope of the production organized in Gorelovo are available to us without any restrictions, they allow us to introduce the latest developments.
Along with this, we ourselves are participating in these developments. An example is our cooperation with Polytechnic University... The university is now divided into institutes, and the Institute of Power Engineering and Electrical Engineering has the Department of "Turbines, Hydraulic Machines and Aircraft Engines", this is one of the institutes' subdivisions. We have contracts with this and with another department and conduct joint research activities. In one case, we test a gas turbine element - an outlet diffuser. In the course of two years, quite a few interesting job at the stand. The stand, which we actually paid for and helped to create.
At the same department, but in the division of hydraulic machines, we are doing one more research work. Why on the topic of hydraulic machines? The fact is that gas turbines are equipped with hydraulic drives, and this very department has accumulated a lot of experience in research on the drive of various elements. The elements that control the operation of a gas turbine and a water turbine. Moreover, for the sake of this cooperation, the department took part in a serious competition, where it defeated its main competitors from a Chinese university.
In addition to joint research work with these two departments, we also give lectures, try to support and train ourselves cadres while still at the student's bench.
- Are your main customers Russian or foreign companies?
We have a license for production and sales in Russia and the CIS. By agreement with the main founder, Siemens Corporation, we can sell to other countries. And without any additional approvals, we sell gas turbines to Russian energy structures, these are Gazprom Energoholding, Inter RAO, Fortum and other owners of energy systems.
- In your opinion, what key difference organization of engineering work at your enterprise?
It seems to me that there are no fundamental differences from the Russian manufacturing enterprise. Probably because over the past 20 years, Russian enterprises have become a bit like Western ones - Western management has appeared, borrowed management systems have been introduced technological process and quality. That is, there is no revolutionary difference.
But I would highlight two differences. The first is specialization, that is, an engineer is engaged in a purely technical, more even creative activity... There is no such certain scatter in the activities of an engineer, as in a typical Russian enterprise, when he is used almost everywhere.
I will demonstrate using the example of engineering - there are at least three such engineering at Siemens: one basic engineering for a product, for example, for a gas turbine, where the gas turbine unit itself is created, all of its internals, all of it technical solutions, the concepts are being implemented. The second engineering is service engineering, which deals with upgrades, revisions, inspections, and it does not deal with the creation of a new product. The third engineering can be characterized as technical solutions for system integration, which fits the gas turbine into the station equipment - all air preparation devices for its operation, fuel supply, gas facilities, which must be combined with other elements of the power plant. And again, he is not in the business of creating a new product, but focuses on the area outside the main gas turbine.
Second fundamental difference of our production is due to the fact that Siemens is a global company. And this is both good and difficult at the same time. In the global Siemens corporation, all procedures, rules, regulatory documents must be universal for Latin America, Finland, China, Russia and other countries. They should be quite voluminous, fairly detailed and should be followed. And one has to get used to this in a global company - to a multitude of global processes and rules, spelled out in great detail.
- What is the role of participation in engineering forums, such as, for example, the Engineering Assembly of Russia, in the development of the enterprise? Are you planning to participate in the upcoming November event?
Yes, we are planning to participate. We would like not only to declare ourselves, that we are a company with advanced engineering, a company that works with scientific institutions, and makes its own developments together with Siemens. We would also like some kind of search for partners on topics of interest, for example, on the localization of production. We probably just don't know about the possibilities that really exist. We need to operate more with some kind of databases, to be more flexible in the search for sub-suppliers, suppliers, materials, components, or vice versa, engineering services. Because now is such a difficult time when you need to evaluate everything from an economic point of view, when you need to weigh again what you need to do yourself, and which services are better to buy, while assessing at the same time how profitable it will be not only in this moment, but also in perspective. Maybe you need to make certain investments and in the future master some kind of production or services on your own. In order to acquire this outlook, participation in such conferences and meetings is very important. So we will definitely participate.
Zabotina Anastasia
A gloating article appeared in the Western press that the construction of new power plants in Crimea actually stopped due to Western sanctions - after all, we seem to have forgotten how to make turbines for power plants ourselves and bowed to Western companies, which are now forced to wind down their deliveries and thus leave Russia without turbines for energy.
"The project envisaged that Siemens turbines would be installed at the power plants. However, in this case, this German engineering company risks violating the sanctions regime. Sources say that in the absence of turbines, the project faces serious delays. Officials Siemens have always said that they do not intend to implement supply of equipment.
Russia studied the possibility of acquiring turbines from Iran, making changes to the project for the installation of turbines Russian production, as well as the use of Western turbines previously acquired by Russia and already located on its territory. Each of these alternatives poses specific challenges, which, according to sources, prevents officials and project leaders from agreeing on how to move forward.
This story demonstrates that, despite official denials, Western sanctions still have real negative impact on Russian economy... It also sheds light on the decision-making mechanism under Vladimir Putin. It is about the propensity of high-ranking officials, according to sources close to the Kremlin, to make grandiose political promises that are almost impossible to implement. "
"Back in October 2016, at a briefing in Munich, the company representatives said that Siemens excludes the use of its gas turbines at thermal power plants in Crimea. We are talking about gas turbines that are produced in Russia at the Siemens gas turbine technology plant in St. Petersburg, which was put into operation in 2015. The shares in this company are distributed as follows: Siemens - 65%, Power Machines - beneficiary A. Mordashov - 35%. 160 MW, and the contract signed in the spring of 2016 specifies a TPP in Taman. "
In fact, it so happened that since the times of the USSR, the production of gas turbine plants for power plants was concentrated at 3 enterprises - in the then Leningrad, as well as in Nikolaev and Kharkov. Accordingly, during the collapse of the USSR, Russia was left with only one such plant - LMZ. Since 2001, this plant has been manufacturing Siemens turbines under license.
“It all started in 1991, when a joint venture was created - then LMZ and Siemens - to assemble gas turbines. An agreement was signed on the transfer of technologies to the then Leningrad Metal Plant, which is now part of OJSC Power Machines. The joint venture has assembled 19 turbines in 10 years.Over these years, LMZ has accumulated production experience in order to learn not only to assemble these turbines, but also to make some components on their own. Based on this experience, in 2001 a license agreement was concluded with Siemens for the right to manufacture, sell and after-sales service of turbines of the same type. They received the Russian marking GTE-160 ".
It is not clear where their developments, which were successfully produced there during the previous 40 years, have gone. As a result, the domestic power engineering industry (gas turbine engineering) was left behind. Now I have to begging overseas in search of turbines. Even in Iran.
"Rostec Corporation has reached an agreement with the Iranian company Mapna, which produces German gas turbines under Siemens license. Thus, gas turbines manufactured in Iran according to drawings by German Siemens can be installed on new power plants in Crimea."
Such an industry, as for different purposes, refers to the type of mechanical engineering that produces goods with high added value. Therefore, the development of this direction is consistent with the priorities of the leadership of our country, which tirelessly declares that we need to "get off the oil needle" and more actively enter the market with high-tech products. In this sense, the production of turbines in Russia may well become one of the drivers along with the oil industry and other types.
Production of turbines of all types
Russian manufacturers produce both types of turbine units - for power engineering and transport. The former are used to generate electricity at thermal power plants. The latter are supplied to enterprises of the aviation industry and shipbuilding. A feature of the production of turbines is the lack of specialization of factories. That is, one and the same enterprise produces, as a rule, both types of equipment.
For example, the St. Petersburg PO "Saturn", which began in the 50s with the production of only power machines, later added to its nomenclature gas turbine units for sea vessels. And the plant "Perm Motors", which initially specialized in the manufacture of aircraft engines, moved on to the additional production of steam turbines for the electric power industry. Among other things, the lack of specialization indicates the broad technical capabilities of our manufacturers - they can produce any equipment with quality assurance guarantees.
Turbine production dynamics in the Russian Federation
According to BusinesStat, the production of turbines in Russia increased by about 5 times from 2012 to 2016. If in 2012 the enterprises of the industry produced a total of about 120 units, then in 2016 this figure exceeded 600 units. The increase was mainly due to the growth of power engineering. The dynamics were not affected by the crisis phenomena and, in particular, by the appreciation of the exchange rate.
The fact is that turbine plants practically do not use foreign technologies and do not need import substitution. In the manufacture of turbine equipment, only our own materials and equipment are used. By the way, this is an additional point that makes this area a competitor to the oil industry.
If oilmen need foreign technologies to develop new oil fields and, especially, need foreign technologies, then the manufacturers of gas turbine units get by with their own best practices. This reduces the cost of manufacturing turbines and, accordingly, reduces the cost, which in turn improves the competitiveness of our products.
Cooperation with foreign manufacturers
The above does not mean at all that our manufacturers are pursuing a closed policy. On the contrary, the trend recent years is the strengthening of cooperation with foreign vendors. The need for this is dictated by the fact that our manufacturers are not able to organize the production of gas turbines of increased power. But such flagships, as well as some European companies, have the necessary resources. The pilot project was the opening of a joint venture between the St. Petersburg plant "Saturn" and the German firm Siemens.
Yes, cooperation with distant partners in the field of turbine production is intensifying, which cannot be said about cooperation with close subcontractors. For example, because of this, our manufacturers have practically lost contact with the Kiev, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkov production associations, which have been supplying components since Soviet times.
However, even here our manufacturers manage to solve problems positively. So, at the Rybinsk Turbine Plant in the Yaroslavl Region, which produces power plants for ships, they switched to the production of their own components instead of those that had previously come from Ukraine.
Changes in market conditions
V recent times the structure of demand has changed towards the consumption of low-power devices. That is, the production of turbines in the country has intensified, but more low-power units have been produced. At the same time, an increase in demand for low-capacity products is noted both in the energy sector and in transport. Low power plants and small vehicles are popular today.
Another trend in 2017 is the increased production of steam turbines. This equipment, of course, loses to gas turbine units in functionality, but it is preferable in terms of cost. For the construction of diesel and coal-fired power plants these devices are purchased. These products are in demand in the Far North.
In conclusion, a few words about the prospects for the industry. According to experts' forecasts, the production of turbines in Russia will grow to 1000 items per year by 2021. All the necessary prerequisites are seen for this.
In August 2012, our country became a member of the World trade organization(WTO). This circumstance will inevitably lead to increased competition in the domestic market for power engineering. Here, as elsewhere, the law applies: "change or die." Without revising technologies and without deep modernization, it will be almost impossible to fight the sharks of Western engineering. In this regard, the issues related to the development of modern equipment operating as part of combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) are becoming more and more urgent.
In the past two decades, combined-cycle technology has become the most popular in the global energy sector - it accounts for up to two-thirds of all generating capacities commissioned on the planet today. This is due to the fact that in combined-cycle plants the energy of the combusted fuel is used in a binary cycle - first in a gas turbine, and then in a steam one, and therefore a CCGT is more efficient than any thermal power plant (TPP) operating only in a steam cycle.
At present, the only area in the thermal power industry in which Russian producers are critically lagging behind the world's leading producers is high power - 200 MW and above. Moreover, foreign leaders not only mastered the production of a unit capacity of 340 MW, but also successfully tested and use a single-shaft CCGT unit, when a 340 MW steam turbine and a 160 MW steam turbine have a common shaft. This arrangement allows to significantly reduce the time of construction and the cost of the power unit.
In March 2011, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia adopted the "Strategy for the Development of Power Machine Building of the Russian Federation for 2010–2020 and for the Long Term until 2030", in accordance with which this direction in the domestic power engineering industry receives solid support from the state. As a result, by 2016, the Russian power engineering industry should carry out industrial development, including full-scale tests and revision at its own test benches, improved (GTU) with a capacity of 65-110 and 270-350 MW and combined cycle plants (CCGT) on natural gas with an increase in their coefficient useful action(Efficiency) up to 60%.
Moreover, manufacturers from Russia know how to produce all the main units of CCGT - steam turbines, boilers, turbine generators, but modern ones are not yet available. Although back in the 70s, our country was a leader in this direction, when the super-supercritical parameters of steam were mastered for the first time in the world.
In general, as a result of the implementation of the Strategy, it is assumed that the share of power unit projects using foreign main power equipment should be no more than 40% by 2015, no more than 30% by 2020, and no more than 10% by 2025. ... It is believed that otherwise there could be a dangerous dependence of the stability of the unified energy system of Russia on the supply of foreign components. During the operation of power equipment, it is regularly required to replace a number of units and parts operating under conditions high temperatures and pressures. At the same time, some of these components are not produced in Russia. For example, even for the domestic GTP-110 and licensed GTP-160, some of the most important units and parts (for example, discs for rotors) are purchased only abroad.
In our market, such large and advanced concerns as Siemens and General Electric are actively and very successfully operating, which often win tenders for the supply of power equipment. The Russian energy system already has several generating facilities, to one degree or another equipped with the main power equipment manufactured by Siemens, General Electric, etc. However, their total capacity does not yet exceed 5% of the total capacity of the Russian energy system.
However, many generating companies that use domestic equipment when replacing it still prefer to contact firms with which they are accustomed to working for more than a decade. This is not just a tribute to tradition, but a justified calculation - many Russian companies carried out a technological renovation of production and are fighting on equal terms with the world power engineering giants. Today we will talk in more detail about the prospects for such large enterprises as OJSC Kaluga Turbine Works (Kaluga), ZAO Ural Turbine Works (Yekaterinburg), NPO Saturn (Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region), Leningrad Metal Works (St. Petersburg) , Perm Engine Building Complex (Perm Territory).
In Russia, on behalf of the President, the government is preparing a large-scale program for the modernization of thermal power plants (TPPs), which is estimated at 1.5 trillion rubles and may start in 2019. One of its main conditions will be the use Russian equipment... Is it possible to update the electric power industry at the expense of domestic developments, about the development of new turbines, export potential and the necessary support from the state in an interview with the Prime agency? general manager"Power Machines" Timur Lipatov, who headed the company three months ago.
- What is now in to a greater extent focused on Power Machines? Will you work mainly for the thermal power industry because of the upcoming program for its modernization?
For anyone. We cannot neglect any niche, the situation in the industry is not the best: markets are shrinking, competition is growing. Therefore, we make almost the entire range of equipment for nuclear, thermal and hydropower.
- What demand from Russian power companies is Power Machines ready for under the program of modernization of thermal power plants?
In the first competitive selection for modernization, projects with a total capacity of 11 GW will be selected, first of all, it will be the reconstruction of our traditional steam power equipment. Our production capacity allows us to produce up to 8.5 GW of turbine equipment per year, the same volume of generators, about 50 thousand tons of boiler equipment.
We have well-developed projects for the modernization of the K-200 and K-300 turbines, and there is a project for the modernization of the K-800. These projects allow you to increase power, efficiency, extend the resource, flexibly respond to what the client needs. But the program is not limited only to condensing units (that is, generating electricity - ed.) With a capacity of 200 and 300 MW, therefore we are concentrating on the PT-60 and PT-80 cogeneration turbines. Their design has been revised, including, we are improving the design of the body part and steam distribution. In parallel, solutions have been developed for the replacement and modernization of third-party turbines. First of all, it comes about the machines of the Kharkov Turbine Plant.
- It is planned to include a norm on 100% localization of production in Russia in the program of modernization of TPPs necessary equipment... Apart from gas turbines, what equipment is still to be localized?
In my opinion, the only problem in the production of generating equipment in Russia, there remains large-scale casting and the production of large forgings (a metal blank obtained as a result of forging or hot stamping - ed.).
Historically, there were three manufacturers of cast billets in the USSR, two of which - in the Urals and St. Petersburg - closed the foundry. As a result, the only supplier remained in Russia, which does not always provide required quality, and we are forced to purchase large-sized cast billets abroad, where their quality is more stable. We believe in the potential of Russian metallurgical enterprises, we believe that with appropriate government support and the appearance of guaranteed demand, they will be able to restore competencies and provide power engineering with high-quality cast billets and forgings. This is a parallel process, it is part of the TPP modernization program, although it may not be on the surface right now.
- Power Machines announced plans to develop a domestic high-power gas turbine. Are you discussing partnerships with Russian or foreign companies?
The basic option is the independent development of gas turbines, since the localization, which any foreign company talks about, is, as a rule, localization "for hardware". We see our task not in repeating the production of an outdated foreign model of a gas turbine in Russia, but in restoring the domestic school of gas turbine construction.
Our final goal- to restart the gas turbine production cycle by organizing a design bureau, creating calculation methods, a bench base, and thereby protecting the Russian power industry from various negative external manifestations.
- What is the share of gas turbines of foreign manufacturers in Russia?
According to our estimates, if we take the operating combined-cycle (CCGT) and gas turbine units (GTU), more than 70% are supplies from foreign manufacturers, another 24% are gas turbines manufactured by Interturbo (a joint venture of the Leningrad Metal Plant created in the 90s and Siemens).
At the same time, despite the presence of joint ventures, the production of the most significant elements gas turbines - hot path components (fuel combustion chambers, turbine blades - ed.) and control systems. Production is limited only to the assembly and manufacture of individual units, which are not critical for the operability of the gas turbine plant and the energy security of Russia as a whole.
- What line of gas turbines "Power Machines" would like to produce?
We start with 65 MW F-class and 170 MW E-class machines. In the future, it is planned to create a 100 MW high-speed turbine with a free power turbine. Subsequently, it is possible to develop a 300-400 MW F or H-class GTU with 3000 rpm using the principles of scaling for some of the components.
- If Power Machines will independently develop the turbine, at what production site?
Here, at our production facilities in St. Petersburg.
- How much do you generally estimate R&D costs? What are the costs of starting up industrial production? And how long can it take?
We estimate the entire project for 65 and 170 MW machines at 15 billion rubles. This amount includes the costs of R&D and technology development, development and re-equipment of design and technological services, modernization of the experimental research and production base. Production will be ready for the production of prototype turbines in two years.
- Why do you think that you will be able to develop a turbine? In Russia, other companies have many years of experience with unsuccessful attempts.
At one time, we were in the trend for gas turbines. The first such machine with a capacity of 100 MW was made at LMZ (Leningrad Metal Plant, part of Power Machines - ed.) In the 60s. And it fully corresponded to the technologies of that time. This groundwork, unfortunately, was lost during the perestroika period. This area of power engineering in the world has become so technologically advanced, has gone so far that in the 90s more in a simple way its restoration was the acquisition of the right to use intellectual property and the localization of production in Russia. As a result, in the 1990s, in partnership with Siemens, LMZ created a joint venture "Interturbo", from which a modern STGT grew (a joint venture between Siemens and Power Machines - ed.). Equipment production was located at LMZ facilities and reached an honest 50% localization. As part of Interturbo, we have gained experience in the production of gas turbine components, which is highly correlated with our current work.
In the recent past, Power Machines independently, no longer within the framework of a joint venture, implemented a project for the development and production of a gas turbine GTE-65 with a capacity of 65 MW. The machine went through a full cycle of cold tests, reached the so-called "full speed, no load" tests, but due to the lack of an experimental TPP for testing and running the technology, it was not put into commercial operation.
- What, in your opinion, will facilitate the rapid development of gas turbine production technology in Russia?
I will name three fundamental factors. The first one is preferences in the development of the production of Russian gas turbines within the framework of the TPP modernization program. We believe that this goal has been achieved thanks to a reasonable dialogue between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Energy. We hope that as part of the subsequent selection of projects for participation in the modernization program, the restrictions on the maximum capital costs for projects using domestic gas turbines will be removed. This will make facilities with domestic gas turbines more attractive for investments.
The second factor is the possibility of construction by Power Machines, independently or with a partner, of experimental TPPs with a total capacity of 1.4 GW within the framework of the KOM NGO mechanism (guarantees investors the return on investment of new power plant construction projects due to increased consumer payments for capacity - ed.). This is necessary in order to bring the prototypes of gas turbines to readiness for commercial operation and to obtain the necessary experience and competence for all possible implementations - single-shaft, twin-shaft and three-shaft CCGT units for gas turbines of all types.
And thirdly, the speedy release of government decree No. 719 (amendments to the decree governing the localization of production in the Russian Federation - ed.), Which will put all manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, on equal terms.
- As part of the TPP modernization program, do you expect to conclude contracts not only for specific power plants, but also for companies, perhaps for the entire duration of the program?
Of course, we are interested in long-term cooperation, but within the framework of the modernization program, the generating companies themselves will only have to participate in competitive selections.
At the same time, from my point of view, the conclusion of such long-term contracts is a normal practice, which will allow us to plan a production program and not let our counterparties meet the deadlines if their projects are selected.
The main discussions now concern framework agreements for repair and service maintenance and the supply of spare parts. When evaluating annual and three-year plans for repair campaigns, we, as a rule, see the potential to reduce the cost of spare parts and services provided by up to 15% due to the alignment of production schedules.
- What kind of discussions are underway, are there any obstacles to the development of the service direction?
The main obstacle to development is "garage production". In the Soviet Union, drawings were often in free circulation; in the 90s, insufficient attention was paid to the protection of intellectual property. Unsurprisingly, this resulted in great amount one-day firms, where people, in artisanal conditions, literally in the garage, produce outdated spare parts, with deviations from the formular dimensions, inconsistency of materials in physical and mechanical characteristics.
We receive a large number of requests from consumers with a request to agree on certain deviations in working documentation from the original design during renovations. I see in this serious risks, since the reason for the failure of our equipment may be the use of non-original spare parts made with deviations. There are few serious players who can ensure the proper timing and quality of work.
- How big is the problem of counterfeit products?
The market is filled with non-original spare parts, including counterfeit ones. We are working to protect our technology, return intellectual property and prohibit its use by other players using the opportunities that the civil and criminal codes give us. They did not bear the cost of R&D (research and development work - ed.), Do not guarantee quality, damage our reputation. We count on support in this matter from Rostekhnadzor, as well as other manufacturers.
- In the medium term, the company will focus on domestic market or foreign projects? Which countries are you primarily considering for work? What technologies are in demand abroad?
- Power Machines has great export and technological potential. The main share of our projects abroad now is either nuclear and hydraulic topics, where we compete on equal terms with global manufacturers, or steam power units (reconstruction of previously supplied machines, production of equipment for burning such types of fuel, for example, as fuel oil and crude oil). The share of exports varies, but averages around 50%.
To increase exports, we must master two fundamentally important technologies, which are not in Russia now. First, to restore the production of domestic gas turbines of medium and large capacity. Secondly, to make a pulverized coal boiler and a steam turbine for super-supercritical steam parameters (SSCP). Existing technologies make it possible to achieve sufficiently high efficiency of 45-47% for steam turbines working at the KPCS. This is a reasonable alternative to the combined cycle, given the relatively low cost of coal, and often due to the lack of gas in the region. We have already developed design documentation for an SSCP turbine with a capacity of 660 MW and are ready to launch it into production as soon as an order appears.
In order for new products to be in demand abroad, they must first be manufactured and introduced on the home market, in Russia. The presence of references will allow us to enter our traditional markets - in Asia and Latin America, in the Middle East. One of the ways to obtain the necessary competencies is the construction of experimental stations within the framework of the KOM NGO mechanism. In addition, government support is needed - through intergovernmental agreements, with the involvement of export financing, and concessional lending. This was done in the Soviet Union, as our competitors abroad are doing now.
- What other directions of the company's development do you see?
One of the areas will be to support small technology companies. There are a huge number of startups on the market that are complementary to our technology chain and sales channels. We intend to actively support the development of such companies by entering into their equity capital, financing R&D and technologies, and guarantees. The transfer of control will allow shareholders to generate significantly more revenue through increased sales and expansion of their channels. I ask everyone to consider this an official invitation, we will be happy to consider the proposals. There are already examples of such successful interaction.
