Energy efficiency

Russian Railways maintains leadership in energy efficiency and environmental friendliness among freight and passenger railway companies.

GRI 302-3

To achieve our strategic targets in reducing carbon intensity, we take steps outlined in the Energy Strategy through 2030 with an outlook through 2035, annual Energy Savings and Energy Efficiency Programme, industry investment programmes of our branches, and a programme of organisational and technical initiatives for 2020–2025Approved by Russian Railways’ Order No. 2651/r dated 27 November 2019..

Key areas in energy saving and efficiency:

improving energy efficiency of transportation;
developing the power grid to reduce energy losses and make it more energy efficient;
using stationary and non-traction energy more efficiently.

Tools for the Company’s efforts to save energy are its investment programmes aimed at upgrading the Company’s fixed assets and its investment project titled “Introduction of Resource-Saving Technologies in Railway Transport”.

In 2022, the Company went through with all of its essential energy saving activities covering both train traction and stationary units, which made it possible to achieve the targets for energy savings and energy efficiency improvement under the Long-Term Development Programme until 2025.

In the reporting year, the Energy Efficiency Programme helped to achieve fuel and energy savings of 7,308.6 TJ, or RUB 6.505 bn compared to RUB 4.0 bn in 2021.

The activities improving energy efficiency of the transportation process served to save RUB 4.5 bn compared to RUB 2.9 bn in 2021. The bulk of savings was achieved by improving traffic management procedures (42.3%) and locomotive operation (42.2%).

The improved performance of traction power supply saved RUB 88.8 m.

Energy efficiency improvement of the stationary power facilities saved more than RUB 2.0 bn, including:

activities to boost energy efficiency of thermal generation and heating systems facilities, which served to achieve RUB 787.3 m in fuel and energy savings;
initiatives aimed at improving energy efficiency of process flows and infrastructure, resulting in fuel and energy savings worth RUB 395.9 m;
introduction of LED devices, energy-efficient lighting fixtures, optimisation of the lighting operation patterns at the station railyards, terminals, technical and administrative buildings, and warehouses, with the resulting economy of RUB 341.0 m.

Performance against energy saving and energy efficiency targets

Target	Unit of measurement	Performance against targets
		2021		2022
				Plan	Actual	Plan	Actual
Energy intensity of operations	kJ / virtual tkm net	86.2	86.2	85.7	85.7
Reduction in the energy intensity of operations	kJ / virtual tkm net	–0.5	–0.5	–0.5	–0.5
Reduction in the energy intensity of operations	%	–0.6	–0.6	–0.6	–0.6
Energy efficiency of operations	10,000 virtual tkm net / kJ	116.0	116.0	116.7	116.7
Energy efficiency improvement (ΔE)	10,000 virtual tkm net / kJ	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7
Energy efficiency improvement (ΔE)	%	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6

Russian Railways is carrying out innovative development to use liquefied natural gas as an alternative energy source for train traction, in line with the Russian President’s and the Russian Government’s instructions. These efforts are part of the cooperation agreement with locomotive manufacturers that focuses on using natural gas as a motor fuel.

The programme stipulates development, production and maintenance of new gas powered locomotives, as well as deploying liquefied natural gas supply infrastructure and drafting regulations. Another work stream envisaged by the programme is the upgrade of mainline and shunting locomotives, which will enable them to run on natural gas.