RusHydro Group announces its operating results for the 2Q 2019

July 18, 2019. Moscow, Russia. PJSC RusHydro (ticker symbol: MICEX-RTS, LSE: HYDR; OTCQX: RSHYY) announces operating results for the 2nd quarter and 1st half of 2019, of the parent company and subsidiaries of RusHydro Group reflected in consolidated financial statements.

Key highlights:

• Operating results of 1H2019 results reflected decrease of output on the back of high water inflows to the majority of reservoirs of the HPPs in the same period of 2018. As compared to the 1st half of 2017 and 2016, the decrease is less pronounced.
• Total water inflow in 1Q'19 to the reservoirs of the Volga-Kama cascade was below the long-run average, while water inflow to the reservoirs in the south of Russia was at the long-run average;
• In 2Q'19, total production by hydropower and pumped storage plants amounted to 22,530 GWh (-20.9%), total output by thermal power plants - 6,998 GWh (+0.8%) and production of alternative renewable energy facilities - 113 GWh (+0.1%);
• In 1H'19, total production by hydropower and pumped storage plants amounted to 41,657 GWh (-17.7%), total output by thermal power plants - 16,720 GWh (+1.2%) and production of alternative renewable energy facilities - 217 GWh (-4.5%);
• Total electricity generation by the Boguchanskaya hydropower plant in 1H'19 amounted to 7,360 GWh (+19.4%)*;
• Total production of RAO ES East Subgroup's power plants in 1H'19 amounted to 18,196 GWh (+1.6%), heat output by thermal power plants - 16,800 thousand GCal (-4.9%);
• Sales by RusHydro Group's electricity retail companies in 1Н'19 amounted to 9,902 GWh (-5.8%);
• As of mid-July reservoirs of the Volga-Kama cascade are filled close to the average level; Sayano-Shushenskoye reservoir is in the process of being filled up to the average level as well; reservoir of Novosibirskaya HPP is filled to the full reservoir level; reservoir of Bureyskaya HPP is already filled to the maximum level.

Electricity generation by the plants of RusHydro Group, GWh

 

 

 

 

The underlying factors of the production change in the first half of 2019 were:

• water inflows to the reservoirs of HPPs on the Volga-Kama cascade and Siberia below the normal level;
• water inflows to the reservoirs in the South of Russia at the long-run average;
• growth of electricity generation by thermal power plants in the Far East on the back of electricity consumption growth;
• growth of electricity sales to UES of Siberia from UES of the East by 32.8% (to 284 GWh) as compared to the same period last year.

Center of Russia

In the beginning of 2019, hydropower plants of the Volga-Kama cascade were operating under the winter period regime of pre-flooding reservoir drawdown. The water reserves of the cascade's reservoirs are higher by 17% and by 28% as compared to the normal level and last year, respectively.

In the first quarter of 2018, inflow to most of the reservoirs on Volga and Kama was close to the normal level. Total water inflow to the reservoirs of the Volga-Kama cascade reached 24.9 km3 (normal level - 21.3 km3).

In the second quarter, water inflows to the reservoirs of the HPPs of the Volga-Kama cascade were predominantly below the normal level: inflows to Uglichskoye, Rybinskoye, Gorkovskoye and Nizhnekamskoye reservoirs were 20-40% below, inflows to Ivankovskoye, Cheboksarskoye and Saratovskoye reservoirs were 60% below, while inflows to Volgogradskoye reservoir were 80% below the normal level. At the same time inflows to Sheksnskoye, Kuybishevskoye, Kamskoye and Votkinskoye reservoirs were at the normal level. In the second quarter of the year total water inflow to the reservoirs of the Volga-Kama cascade amounted to 112 km3, which is 30% below the normal level.

Total electricity production by the hydropower plants of the Volga-Kama cascade and Zagorsksaya pumped storage in the second quarter of 2019 decreased by 25.6% to 11,177 GWh, in the first half of the year - by 25.5% to 19,356 GWh as compared to corresponding period of 2018.

 

South of Russia and North Caucasus

Water inflow to the reservoir of Chirkeyskaya HPP in 1Q 2019 was 20% above the normal level. Average daily water inflow to the reservoir of Chirkeyskaya HPP in the months of January and February 2019 was 75.7 m3. The HPP is operating under water economy regime to preserve high water level in the reservoir as water reserves in the snow deposits of the Sulak River are below the normal level.

In the second quarter of 2019, water inflow to Chirkeyskaya HPP was close to the normal level. By the beginning of the third quarter water storage at the reservoirs of the HPPS of the Sulak cascade were 5% above the normal level and 4% above the level observed during the same period last year.

In 2Q 2019, total electricity production by the hydropower plants in the South of Russia and North Caucasus decreased by 13% to 2,146 GWh as compared to the corresponding period last year, in the first half of the year  - by 8.1% to 3,315 GWh.

 

Siberia

Water inflow to the reservoirs on the rivers of Siberia in the first quarter of 2019 was higher than normal level by 15%.             

In the second quarter of 2019 water inflows to Novosibirskoye and Sayano-Shushenskoye reservoirs was 20% below the normal level. By the end of the spring flooding season the reservoir was filled to the normal reservoir water surface of 113.5 m allowing enough water storage for the low water season as well as for upcoming heating season.

Water inflow to the Sayano-Shushenskoye reservoir in the second quarter was 30% below the normal level as low air temperatures delayed the start of spring flooding. By the end of June inflows increased significantly following extra rainfall and snowmelt in the mountains allowing filling the reservoir up to the normal level. Given the current hydrological situation, electricity generation will increase going forward at Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP.

Overall electricity production by the hydropower plants in Siberia decreased by 0.9% in 2Q 2019 to 5,024 GWh and by 16.9% to 10,666 GWh in the first half of the year as compared to the same period last year. Boguchanskaya HPP produced 3,619 GWh in the second quarter of 2019 and 7,360 GWh in the first half of the year an increase of 7.7% and 19.4% over the corresponding period last year respectively.

 

Far East

The spring flooding season in the Far East is expected at the end of April - beginning of May.

In the first quarter of 2019, water inflow to Kolymskoye and Zeyskoye reservoirs was 25-40% above the normal level. Water inflow to the cross section of Bureyskaya HPP decreased following a landslide that occurred in December of 2018. The situation has been restored in February 2019 following formation of an outlet. Since then 1.16 km3 of water has entered the segment of the reservoir adjacent to the dam. In the first quarter of 2019, the facility was operating under normal conditions, in the pre-flooding reservoir drawdown regime.

In 2Q 2019, water inflow to Kolymskoye reservoir was 35% above the normal level while inflow to the Zeyskoye reservoir is below the normal level. Inflow to the Bureyskoye reservoir was 60% above the normal level. Up to 50% of the inflow was accumulated in the reservoir. In the region of the Bureyskoye reservoir flood is currently under way and the reservoir is filled to the maximum level.

Total electricity generated by hydro and geothermal power plants in the Far East (not included in the RAO ES East subgroup) increased by 9.9% in the second quarter of 2019 and by 0.4% in the first half of 2019 to 3,522 GWh and 6,803 GWh respectively against the same periods last year.

Total electricity generated by RAO ES East subgroup in the second quarter of 2019 amounted to 7,563 GWh, an increase of 1.5% as compared to the second quarter last year. JSC Far Eastern Generating Company's (DGK) share of electricity generated was 74% or 5,628 GWh, an increase of 0.2% against the same period last year. Increase in electricity consumption in the Unified Power System of the East by 3.4% to 10,522 GWh as well as increase in electricity sales to China and UES of Siberia by 12.4% to 1,050 GWh were the main drivers behind the growth.  

In the first half of the year, total electricity generation by RAO ES East subgroup increased by 1.6% to 18,196 GWh against the corresponding period of 2018. Increase is primarily driven by growth of electricity consumption in the Far East Federal District by 1.3% to 24,627 GWh and increase of electricity sales to UES of Siberia and China by 32.8% to 284 GWh against the same period last year.

Heat output by thermal plants of RAO ES East Subgroup in the second quarter of 2019 increased by 0.2% to 4,627 GCal  as compared to the corresponding period last year. In the first half of 2019 heat output decreased by 4.9% against 1H 2018 to 16,800 GCal.

 

Heat output by thermal plants of RAO ES of the East Subgroup, '000 GCal

 

Armenia

Electricity generation by the Sevan-Hrazdan cascade of hydropower plants in Armenia in the second quarter of 2019 increased by 59.4% to 209 GWh, in the first half of the year - by 31.9% to 256 GWh as compared to the corresponding period of last year. The power generation by the plants of the cascade is dependent on water inflows of the Hrazdan river and water discharge from Sevan Lake.

 

Electricity retail

Total electricity output by RusHydro Group's energy retail companies in 2Q 2019 decreased by 2.0% to 10,715 GWh as compared to 2Q 2018, in 1H 2019 electricity output amounted to 25,263 GWh, a decrease of 3.5% as compared to the corresponding period last year. The decrease came mainly on the back of climate factor as well as termination of supply agreements with customers.

Total electricity output by RusHydro's retail companies, operating in Chuvashia, Ryazan and Krasnoyarsk regions in the second quarter of 2019 decreased by 4.8% to 4,305 GWh as compared to 2Q'18. In the first half of the year, total output decreased by 5.8% as compared to the corresponding period last year and amounted to 9,902 GWh. Increase in output at ESC RusHydro is driven by new supply agreements as well as increase in electricity consumption by JSC Polyus Krasnoyarsk and Yandex DC Vladimir LLC.

Electricity output by PJSC DEK (energy retail company operating in the Primorskiy Krai, Khabarovskiy Krai, Amur region and Jewish Autonomous region, the main supplier of electricity to the population in the second non-price zone of the wholesale energy market) in the second quarter of 2019 amounted to 4,455 GWh, an increase of 2.4% as compared to 2Q'18. Favorable performance is primarily driven by increase in consumption. In the first half of the year electricity output decreased by 1% to 10,878 GWh as compared to the same period last year as a result of climate factor and termination of supply agreements with major customers.

Total electricity output by RusHydro's companies located in the isolated energy systems in the Far East Federal District amounted to 1,955 GWh in 2Q 2019, a decrease of 5.3% as compared to the same period last year. In the first half of 2019 total electricity output decreased by 4.1% to 4,483 GWh as compared to the first half of 2018.

 

Electricity output by RusHydro Group's retail companies, GWh

 

Water inflows forecast

According to the forecast of the Hydrometeorology Center of Russia, the following dynamics of water inflows to the major reservoirs are expected in the 3rd quarter of 2019:

• Total water inflows to the majority of reservoirs on Volga and Kama are expected to be close to or slightly below the long-run average;
• Inflows to reservoir of the rivers of North Caucasus and Siberia for the most part are expected to be close to long-run average;  
• Inflows to Zeyskoe and Kolymskoye reservoirs in the Far East are expected to be slightly below the long-run average, to Bureyskoye reservoir - at the normal level.

 

*The Boguchanskaya hydropower plant is part of the Boguchanskiy Energy and Metals Complex (BEMO), a 50/50 joint venture (JV) between RusHydro and UC RUSAL, and is not part of RusHydro Group. According to RusHydro's shareholding in the JV (50%), the results of the plant are reported in the official financial statements in "Share of results of associates and jointly controlled entities". Operations of the HPP have been put into the press-release for general reference.

** Includes generation by HPPs of PJSC RusHydro, Kolymskaya HPP and Viluyskie HPPs, part of RAO ES of East Subgroup.

 

About RusHydro

RusHydro Group is one of Russia's largest generating companies. RusHydro is the leading producer of renewable energy in Russia with over 400 generating facilities in Russia and abroad. The company also manages a number of R&D, engineering and electricity retail companies. Group's thermal assets are operated by subsidiary - RAO Energy System of East in the Far East of Russia. Total electricity generation capacity of the Group is 39.4 GW, heat capacity - 18.9 thousand GCal/h.

Russian Federation owns 60.56% in RusHydro, the rest is held by other institutional and individual shareholders (over 360,000). The company's stock is traded on the MICEX and RTS stock exchanges. Company's GDRs in the IOB section of LSE, ADRs - in OTCQX.

 

For more information:

Investor Relations Department

Tel. +7 (800) 333 8000 ext. 1607, 1319, 1304

ir@rushydro.ru

 

The information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of RusHydro. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "will," "could," "may" or "might," the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially from these statements. We do not intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, general economic conditions, our competitive environment, risks associated with operating in Russia, rapid technological and market change in our industries, as well as many other risks specifically related to RusHydro and its operations.