The Structure of the Unified Energy System of Russia in the Post-Soviet Period

The article examines the Unified Energy System of Russia from the point of view of its modern content and connectivity of structural parts. It is shown how the patterns of development of the USSR and Russia’s energy space are historically connected. The main attention is paid to the geographical analysis of changes in the industrial space of Russia, which determines the bet on factual information. The study revealed that there are three structural parts in the Unified Energy System of Russia. According to the criterion of the absence of electrical connections for parallel operation with other systems, a zone of technologically isolated (decentralized) energy systems is allocated, this is by definition the area of network incoherence. According to the criterion of synchronous operation (with a common frequency of electric current), two more spatial zones are allocated. The first synchronous zone includes six integrated power systems. Geographical analysis shows that elements of weak communication are inherent in all power systems and are produced by the transformation of the post-Soviet space. A pronounced defect of network incoherence is Kaliningrad oblast. The energy system of the South is based on the transit of electricity through the territory of Ukraine. The disconnection will reduce the stability of the European segment of the Unified Energy System of Russia, the risks of losing operational access to Transnistria, Moldova and the south-western segment of the European energy system are high. Therefore, capital-intensive network projects bypassing Ukraine are relevant. The energy system of the Urals provides the Center–Siberia link with transit through Kazakhstan and, as a consequence, network incoherence and the risks of losing access to Central Asia. The second synchronous zone of the Unified Energy System of Russia includes one unified energy system of the East, which operates in parallel, but not synchronously with the first zone (weak network connection). The energy system of the East has a narrow spectrum of intersystem communication, but it is very promising for integration with the energy system of China.