Russia must develop a program for hydrocarbon production from unconventional sources in response to the country's depletion of its traditional energy reserves, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told the Security Council on Monday.
Medvedev said it was necessary to introduce new technologies to produce new hydrocarbon sources, and called for a long-term energy resources reserve to be set up to supply the Russian market in future, because the country's gas reserves were still unnecessarily wasted.
"We should guarantee a stable and long-term supply of the country's resources. We are still depleting our gas reserves unreasonably, converting even those heat electric generation plants and boiler rooms which can efficiently work on coal to use the blue fuel," Medvedev told the council in the Kremlin.
Documents prepared for the meeting stated that Russia had used over 50 percent of its oil reserves, but estimated gas reserves stand at 165 trillion cubic meters.
"It is important we create conditions for investment growth in technical upgrades of the fuel and energy system, and stimulate fuel companies to use new technologies which can provide greater returns in oil and gas production," he said.
The Kremlin said the share of energy companies in overall polluting emissions to the atmosphere stands at nearly 50%, greenhouse gases at more than 70% and contamination of water at about 10%.
Medvedev also criticized the low technological level of the Russian power industry.
"The depletion of production capacity, especially in the electricity sector, causes problems in energy and heat supply, and accidents, including such terrible ones as at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydro power plant. The fuel and energy system's effect on the environment is still very unfavorable," he said.
Up to 60 percent of infrastructure in the electricity and gas industries and 80 percent in the oil refining industry is worn out, the Kremlin documents stated.
MOSCOW, December 13 (RIA Novosti)
