Sergey Kondratyev, Senior Expert of the «Institute for Energy and Finance” Fund:

 — In addition many households use air conditioners around the clock and this allows to regard them as a «basic» load (at which nuclear power plants operation is the most efficient).

While the eastern US states are suffering from the record-breaking heat, resulting in a threat of partial or even complete power outage, American nuclear power plants are operating with average working capacity of 97% (data for July 4–7). In this regard 85 American reactors for the whole last week were operated with average working capacity of 100% (there are 104 reactors in the country, and 100 of them were in operation last week). “In the extreme conditions, safe operation of nuclear power plants has become vital as it contributes to stable operation of our power network which is necessary for both electric power supply of the US economy and air cooling of houses and offices,» Vice-President of the USA Nuclear Power Institute Alexander Marion said.

Sergey Kondratyev, Senior Expert of the «Institute for Energy and Finance” Fund:

Under the conditions of abnormally high temperatures, observed recently in the USA, EU countries and the European part of Russia (the actual temperature exceeds the mean long-term annual values by 5–8 degrees), the load on power systems of these states has significantly increased due to the expansion of electric power consumption for air conditioning.

Today the strongly increased needs often require mobilization of all available capacities, therefore utilization factor of maximum capacity of USA NPPs has risen to the record value of 97%.

In addition many households use air conditioners around the clock and this allows to regard them as a „basic“ load (at which nuclear power plants operation is the most efficient).

In fact, NPPs proved to be the only source of energy, which have considerably increased power supply without a significant increase in price — in the thermal power industry such a substantial increase in demand resulted in putting into service the most inefficient old oil and coal-fired thermal power plants, the cost of electric power of which is much higher than the average values of the power system.

High temperatures prevailing during the two last weeks in the European part of Russia affect the increase in electric power demand in a less degree (consumption has increased by 4.6% and is still below pre-crisis level of 2008), because our homes and offices are lesser equipped with air conditioners and because of the prevalence of the manufacturing sector in the general electric power consumption structure (industry, agriculture, construction and transport take for about 67% of the overall electric power consumption).

However, with the service industry development and growth in the living standards, the demand for electric power in Russia will be more and more similar to the pattern evidenced in developed countries — in hot weather there will be observed a surge in demand for electric power, especially in large cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg and megacities) and southern regions of the country.