Meeting of headquarters for lowering of administrative barriers and improvemwnt of investment and business climate in Astrakhan region/PRESS RELEASE

18.11.2016

November 18, 2016 – a meeting was held in Astrakhan by Headquarters for Lowering of Administrative Barriers and Improvement of Investment and Business Climate in Astrakhan Region.

The main issue on the agenda was a report on construction of Zavodskaya SPP 15 MW. The participants discussed the prospects of the project and its significance for the region. Total volume of investments in construction of Zavodskaya SPP will be about 3 billion rubles, up to 50 people will be provided with jobs for the period of construction. After the SPP starts operating at full capacity, regional budget will annually receive more than 67 million rubles of tax payments.

At its meeting, the Headquarters also held a dialogue on environmental impact of the project. The Headquarters decided to provide full regional support for preparation of the necessary documentation. The company will be able to use "one window" system when undergoing all approval procedures and to get assistance of the expert group in preparing the documents. In future, the company may acquire the status of a particularly significant investment project. That will provide tax incentives and will reduce the payback period from 25 to 15 years.

Zavodskaya SPP will be located on a land plot with an area of 26 hectares. 58 thousand photovoltaic modules (each with capacity of about 260 watts) will be responsible for collection of solar energy. All panels will be directed to the sun at an angle of about 30 degrees, as this is the best angle to collect solar radiation in Astrakhan Region. Rows of modules will be mounted so that panels will not shade each other. The distance between rows will be of around 8 meters. The SPP will reach peak power output at the time of highest solar activity, when the sun is at its zenith. Zavodskaya SPP will be fully automated. Warranty period of each module is around 15 years, lifetime of the SPP is 25 years. Zavodskaya SPP will produce clean electricity with no emission of hazardous substances into the atmosphere. Carbon emission reduction with virtually no waste or other negative impacts on the environment will be more than 3784 tons.

Solar Systems, LLC was established in March 2014 for the purpose of construction and operation of solar power plants on the territory of Russia. The company is currently implementing projects in Samara and Astrakhan Regions. Solar power plants in Volgograd Region, Stavropol Krai and the Republic of Kalmykia are planned to be constructed in the next two years. Due to commissioning of 10 solar parks, total installed capacity of power systems of these regions will increase by 240 MW. Cumulative investments will surpass 32 billion rubles.