Seeking to secure its Environmental Strategy's targets of carbon intensity reduction, the Company is taking actions outlined in the Russian Railways Energy Strategy 2030 and through 2035, the annual Russian Railways Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency Improvement Programme, and relevant sectoral investment programmes of Russian Railways subsidiaries, as well as the 2020–2025 Russian Railways Programme of Organizational and Technical Measures to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions (approved by Russian Railways Order No. 2651/r dated 27 November 2019).
Focal areas of the Company's energy saving and energy efficiency improvement measures include:
- making the transportation process more energy-efficient;
- developing the power grid – reducing electricity losses and improving energy efficiency;
- improving energy efficiency in stationary power generation and other non-traction applications.
The Company's energy-saving activities rely on investment programmes designed to renovate its fixed assets, as well as an investment project known as Introduction of Resource-Saving Technologies in the Railway Sector.
In 2023, the Company completed all the compulsory energy-saving actions planned for both train traction and stationary needs, thus meeting the targets of energy saving and energy efficiency improvement prescribed by the Russian Railways Long-term Development Programme until 2025. Russian Railways increased energy efficiency production activities by 0.6% compared to 2022.
The total volume of savings in fuel and energy resources resulting from the implementation of activities under the Energy Conservation Programme in 2023 amounted to 5,872.4 TJ worth 6.463 billion roubles.
The implementation of energy-saving measures aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of the transportation process enabled savings of 5.3 billion roubles, up from 4.5 billion in 2022, including 548.3 million kWh of electric energy and 50,800 tons of diesel fuel. The greatest savings, however, were achieved as a result of improved locomotive fleet utilisation rates (62.8%), as well as improved train traffic control technology (28.8%).
The implementation of measures to improve the energy efficiency of traction power supply systems enabled savings of 16.9 million kWh of electricity worth 70.6 million roubles. At stationary power facilities, savings amounted to 1.2 billion roubles, including:
- savings in fuel and energy resources from measures at heat generation facilities and heat supply systems – 466.9 million roubles;
- savings in fuel and energy resources from measures within the framework of technological processes and infrastructure facilities – 208.6 million roubles;
- the economic effect from the introduction of LED technology, the use of energy-efficient lamps, and optimisation of the operating modes of lighting systems – 189.3 million roubles.
In 2023, within the framework of the investment project "Implementing Resource-Saving Technologies in Rail Transport", 410 units of technical solutions were introduced worth 0.8 billion roubles. The economic effect obtained in 2023 from the use of resource-saving technical solutions introduced in 2022 amounted to RUB 203.2 million or 112.7% of the planned volumes.
The consumption rate of renewable and low-carbon energy for 2023 is 18.6 billion kWh, which is 39.5% of the total volume of electric energy supplied for the needs of Russian Railways for the whole year.
In compliance with instructions of the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation, Russian Railways is working on innovative development projects to use liquefied natural gas as an alternative source of energy for train traction.