Russia is currently involved in extensive discussions on the future energy strategy for the country. The decline in industry over the past 7 years has created a decrease in electricity consumption of about 20%. This means that there is now a unique chance to get rid of dangerous nuclear power plants, replacing them with energy efficiency and renewable energy technology.

There is massive potential for wind power technology in Russia. Preliminary studies have shown the following areas in Russia are suitable for wind power:

Arhangelsk, Astrahan, Volgograd, Kaliningrad, Kamchatka, Leningrad, Magadan, Murmansk, Novosibirsk, Perm, Rostov, Sahalin, Tyumen; Dagestan, Kalmykiya, Karelia, Komi, Nenetskii autonomous district, Taimyrskii autonomous district, Hakasiya, Chukotka, Yakutiya, Yamalo-Nenetskii autonomous district.

Small remote settlements, where the traditional fuel supply is expensive and unreliable, have the largest potential for economically profitable electricity production using wind energy.

In September 1996 a Greenpeace team visited a farmers settlement which is not connected to the main electriciy grid. The closest power line is 5 km away. The farm is situated in the Gatchina District of the Leningrad Region. Although Leningrad region has a huge power producing sector and a large electricity network, the farmers, Nadezhda Turabova and her husband Veneamin Turabov, had to look for a autonomous source of energy. Up until 1996 they were using car batteries to supply electricity to the farm, which had to be carried to the neighbours house once a week to be recharged.

On January 25th 1996 they purchased a small windmill to produce electricity for their small-holding. It was purchased from a local company which is now producing windmills as part of a conversion programme to diversify away from Ministry of Defence work.

The windmill is quite small with a power output of about 300 Wt. It weighs about 40 kilos including the control unit and it was installed by 2 people in less than 3 hours.

The farmers are very happy with the windmill. It does not disturb them, they have the comfort of knowing that they have a reliable source of energy, and they do not have to worry about carrying heavy batteries to the neighbours for re-charging.

For further information on Wind Power in Russia Please Contact Eduard Gismatullin, Greenpeace Russia, e-mail: gis@glasnet.ru