​OAO Fortum and Skolkovo Foundation establish R&D centre for advanced energy technologies

HELSINKI, 8-6-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — OAO Fortum and Skolkovo Foundation have signed a cooperation agreement on establishing a R&D centre for advanced energy technologies. The R&D cooperation targets to improve the efficiency and reliability of heat grids and enhance energy efficiency and create energy savings.

“Our investment programme in Russia relies on the most advanced technologies available today in thermal generation. Cooperation with Skolkovo Foundation is an important step in our future development as we will gain through them access to a broad scale of research and projects in the areas of energy efficiency, power and heat generation, power and heat transportation and RES-based generation,” says Aleksander Chuvaev, Executive Vice President responsible for Fortum’s Russia Division.

The reform of the Russian heat sector is starting as last year the country’s government approved a roadmap which aims liberalise heat prices by 2020 in big cities and by 2023 elsewhere. The heat reform will create incentives for efficiency improvement. It also gives opportunity to improve the profitability and efficiency of Fortum’s production. Currently, Fortum’s heat capacity in Russia is approximately 13,500 MW, which is about 7 times larger than Fortum’s heat capacity in Finland. Fortum is providing heat to nearly two million residents of Chelyabinsk and Ozersk in Urals, and Tyumen and Tobolsk in Western Siberia.

Skolkovo Foundatation is a 2010 founded non-profit organisation responsible for Skolkovo Innovation Center, a scientific and technological centre for the development and commercialisation of advanced solutions in the areas of energy efficiency, strategic IT technologies, biomedicine, nuclear technology and space technologies. The Skolkovo innovation system comprises the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (SkolTech – established in partnership with MIT), corporate R&D centres, business incubators, private seed and venture funds, and start-up companies, as well as residential space and social infrastructure.

Fortum Corporation
Corporate Communications

Further information:
Denis Litoshik, Communications and PR Director, Russia, Tel. +79853835261, denis.litoshik@fortum.com

Fortum
Fortum’s purpose is to create energy that improves life for present and future generations. Fortum’s expertise is in CO2-free and efficient electricity and heat production. The company also offers energy-related products and expert services to private and industrial customers and energy producers. Fortum’s main areas of operation are the Nordic and the Baltic countries, Russia and Poland. In 2014, the annual sales (excluding the divested electricity distribution business) totalled EUR 4.1 billion, and comparable operating profit was EUR 1.1 billion. The company employs approximately 8,400 people. Fortum’s share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. http://www.fortum.com