In Kudepste, the village on the border of Khosta and Adler districts of Greater Sochi, any passer-by knows the answer to the question: "Where's never built a power plant?" Go about two kilometers past the industrial area up the dusty street Iskra, on "to the river deep in the mud - and find a vacant lot, where there is nothing. "

In the building next to the site, is intended for thermal, peacefully coexist library, the police and the administration of the rural district of Kudepsta. Here everyone knows the story unfinished. While one policeman logs readings guilty of something youngster, second good-naturedly said: "Building of canceled because then people rushed to the tractor, and the land allocated under the TPP, have returned to the municipality." A village administration official report, the station moved to a distant Grozny.

bureaucratic procedures

Kudepstinskaya TPP has become one of the most controversial unfinished Olympics, and certainly the most problematic energy object Games, says former Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Kurbatov, who oversaw its construction. By the time the buildingIt was under the supervision of, a change of ownership, place of deployment, and the project itself.

Just three days after his appointment as deputy minister Kurbatov went to Kudepsta - already building caused a storm of protests from local residents. They have written a bunch of petitions, they blocked the road, round the clock camp organized around the construction site. Some activists really threw themselves under the tractor.
Kurbatov himself when he came to the place of the audit, almost beaten.

It was in June 2012, before the Olympics was a little over one and a half years. At the site of the future station - a wasteland. The investor and construction contractor at the time was "GC Corporation GazEnergoStroy". According to its president, Sergey Chernin, the project looked "very attractive investment", as the Ministry of Energy has promised full capacity utilization station (367 MW) and return on investment. Has not yet received all the approvals from the regulatory authorities, "GazEnergoStroy" ordered equipment from the Finnish Wartsila, which, according to Chernin, still stands in the Italian port of Trieste. What wente so?

Problems arose with coordination. A year after "GazEnergoStroy" took up the construction of the station (in December of 2011), the company still did not have all the permissions. Glavgosexpertiza refused to approve the documentation, and the Ministry of Regional Development allegedly did not want to understand the situation complained of investors and their defenders in his letters to the prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, and the Commissioner for Human businessmen Boris Titov. This is despite the fact that the Olympic object conclusion Glavgosekspertizy on it should have been issued for three months under the simplified procedure.

"Station project just looked at under a magnifying glass, we have three times only positive conclusion of Rospotrebnadzor got" - says Chernin.

To be or not to be

After a visit to a vacant building site Kurbatov process of harmonization went faster. "The first time we drove this place is very, helped: dragged behind" GazEnergoStroy "paper in court, reworked them, and the Minister [of Energy Alexander Novak] intervened and [Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry] Kozak", - says Mikhail Kurbatov.Instead buffet with champagne December 31, 2012 the Ministry of Energy officials were late with employees Glavgosekspertizy on documents.

Back in March, Kozak said that the project Kudepstinskaya TPP "is absolutely necessary to ensure the reliability of power supply of the Olympic Games." But by mid-2013 the situation has changed. "We all had the firm belief that the guys either did not really want to build, or not coping", - says participant in meetings of the Olympic facilities. Prior to the Games was only a few months.

Officials began to convince Kozak, that the Olympics will cost and without station.

In 2007, energy, reinsuring, stated that the load on the power grid during the Sochi Olympics will reach 1380 MW, the closer to the Games in capacity needs counted, the load was estimated at 850 MW. This volume provide other stations already built or near completion.

On top of that the company "System Operator", which manages the Russian energy system, said that the gas piston CHP equipment can not be stably Starteding into Kudepste in an accident caused by, for example, a short circuit. And to aggravate the consequences thereof. "Can you imagine an application: construction of this facility will increase the risks of an accident in Sochi. After that, any officer say, "Just do it!" - Exclaims a source close to the Ministry of Energy. The Ministry agreed with the IOC replacement TPP mobile power stations and in record time to install them.

And the equipment bought "Gazenergostroem" for TPP, and idle in Trieste. The company continued to report on investment in construction. In February 2013 Chernin said that the amount of investment reached 4.6 billion rubles in May - already 5.8 billion rubles. In a recent conversation with the correspondent of Forbes, he has voiced a figure 6.8 billion rubles. What to do with the project? With this question, investors have come to the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry has promised to work something out.

Eliminated from the race

Excitement around the station was due not only to its Olympic significance. Kudepstinskaya TPP was originally included in the list of objects, investments in which the government has promised to return. Investments were for "insure "the agreement on provision of power (PDM): it establishes the obligation not only to investors, but also the state - in 10 years to return to the station costs through the tariff for power. In an ever-changing regulations in the industry for such a guarantee ready to war a lot of energy.

The contract was originally signed with the company "TGC-2", a member of the group "Synthesis" senator from Chuvashia, Leonid Lebedev, - she was the first owner of the station. In 2010, the company has committed to build a thermal power plant for 11.6 billion rubles in 2013, but a year later dropped out of the Olympic race, allegedly because of problems with the site for the construction proposed by the State Corporation "Olympstroy".

Exquisitely getting rid of a headache in the form of potentially scandalous object "TGC-2" does not split from the Democratic Party. Construction obligations were transferred to the company "Concern Vneshenergosnab" with four physical persons-founders, and the state guarantees in the form of granting the power of the treaty itself remained in "TGC-2". New singer, who had no experience in building similar facilities, with confirmedRespecting deadlines and undertook to find 19.5 billion rubles for the project. But from the PDM refused, says a source close to the negotiations. A little-known group lasted as long Olympic investor: is now the site of the company and its phones do not work.

Corporation "GazEnergoStroy" took his place at the end of 2011 and immediately claimed the right of return of investments. But with the transfer of the ill-fated contract constantly had some difficulty in which the parties blamed each other. So up until mid-2013, when it was decided to cancel construction Kudepste, the contract remained in "TGC-2".

How to solve problems

While officials have sought to ensure the supply of energy of the Olympic Sochi, the North Caucasus continued to experience a shortage of electricity. In the unenviable position of Chechnya, where investors are not very eager. This is one of the most problematic in terms of energy regions of Russia: from generating facilities there is only restored after the war of 1994-1996 Argun CHPP-4.

The issue of new capacities personally supervises the head of republicRamzan Kadyrov, claimed two members of the Olympic meetings on energy. The idea of ​​the project transfer to Chechnya was announced by Chechen officials, even in 2011, when he first changed Kudepstinskaya project contractor. The representative of "TGC-2" confirms: "When the issue of the transfer of DPM began to be discussed in the Ministry of Energy, including the speech in Grozny was about."

"The Chechens have always wanted them to have the station, they fast-paced city, problems with serious energy - says a source close to the negotiations on the transfer station in Chechnya. - They began lobbying the topic through the Ministry of Energy, through the "System Operator".

"I've never seen so many mediators with Caucasian names that appear in the course of history in government offices to help" solve the problems ", - says one of the participants in the meetings on the theme of TPP in Chechnya. In mid-2013 the information about what Olympic station may appear in Grozny, began to arrive and by officials.

What does the "Gazprom"

Among the Chechen power engineeringOdita bike: Denis Fedorov, general director of "Gazprom energy" a couple of months ago appeared on the court in Grozny, where before the war was a CHP-3. There was only from her chimney. "To clear all? - Asked Fedorov, prudently stepping on the industrial site, and nodded in the direction of the pipe. - That's what it will be necessary to blow up. " Receiving his officials changed the face of one of them began to whisper something was present immediately to the Minister of Industry of the Republic, and then asked: "And we will build a new you?"

Who can say for sure: build. The decision was taken at a meeting of Kadyrov and Chairman of the Board of "Gazprom" Alexey Miller, confirmed Director of the Department of Energy, Ministry of Industry and Energy of the Republic of Chechnya Abubakar Idris. According to him, "Gazprom energy" will invest 24 billion rubles in the construction of a new thermal power plant in Grozny, which will take another "daughter" of the gas concern, "Mezhregion-Energostroy". In "Gazprom energy holding" the cost and timing of the project does not comment: Government Decree No.transfer station from Kudepsty in Grozny and the financing scheme is not approved.

But changes in the disposal of the Government of the Democratic Party in 2010 for Kudepste who get "Gazprom" structure, will be introduced in the near future. "The platform we prepare, design work will commence in May 2014", - said Idrisov.

Director General of "TGC-2" Andrey Korolev gave of Forbes, the company is virtually free of DPM gives "Gazprom energy", relying exclusively on the compensation of the book value of the turbine, the previously acquired for the project, which is about 1 billion rubles. The money will go to pay off debt "TGC-2" in front of structures "Gazprom Mezhregiongas" "TGC-2" owes to "Gazprom" 6.9 billion rubles for gas, complained at the end of last year, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev the head of "Gazprom" Alexey Miller and asked assistance to the Investigative Committee, and then in relation to management of "TGC-2" was a criminal case.

"To convince nobody had," - reports about a happy resolution of the problem Idrisov. A sourceForbes says that the necessary documents to transfer DPM senator Leonid Lebedev signed under the strict supervision of the senator from Chechnya Geremeeva Suleiman, who caught it at the exit session of the Federation Council. The "synthesis" is refuted.

About the same failed investor in TPP Corporation "GazEnergoStroy" seems to have decided to forget. "Czernin came to us, offered to buy his story and leave his company contractor, - says Denis Fedorov. - But I'm not interested: what is the meaning of "Gazprom energy" to spend money and to buy back the project, and on the same contractor? ".

"Gazprom energy" plans to attract contractors on a competitive basis, claims by "Gazenergostroya" the company is not afraid of, since it is not the legal successor of their project. "We are talking about a completely new project," - emphasizes Fedorov.

Run the station in Chechnya will "granddaughter" of "Gazprom" "OGK-2". Who and what to build in Sochi in a vacant lot, where have not started to build a thermal power plant is still unknown.

zemflax question

In land unbuilt station has a rich history. "In our eyes / Do not make a buck God / And courage in the hearts / leads the through the alarm / We stood in a row side by side / and a full series / Act, power, wisdom / Save Kudepsta us.!" - This anthem met residents Kudepsty TPP construction on the territory of their village.

Against the TPP made by different organizations. Representatives of the Environmental Watch on North Caucasus frightened climate change and melting glaciers. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch feared escalation of the conflict between the residents and builders. Representatives of the Communist Party were present at the barricades, the chairman of the party "Yabloko" Sergei Mitrokhin also protested the construction of thermal power plants. The boiler house, build a close in 2012-2013 by order of management of capital construction of Sochi, questions no one caused.

"Here, for the land is almost $ 3,000 per square meter give, and it is clear that someone is not really wanted there to build the stations", - says ex-member construction.

Fifteen hectares of youdivided for the construction of thermal power plants, it has been withdrawn with compensation in Sochi LLC "Terra", says employee of the company. Previously, this company had 30 hectares of land Kudepsty long-term lease, are now exactly half remained: is the land around the site, where the station had not been built. Its 15 hectares of "Terra" is going to sublet. According to employees of administration of Sochi, the site "under the TPP" returned to the municipality property.

Kudepsta village, where a little more than 5,000 inhabitants, is booming: on the opposite side of the river from the TPP almost completed five newcomers desyatietazhek intended for members of the MUP. Nearby constructed sanatorium for the Ministry of Defence. And there will be a kindergarten and a school.

According to the cadastral map, reserved once under construction TPP is now 15 hectares are land settlement: there you can do multi-storey residential buildings and individual, place the garages, parking lots and hotels.