Chulman risks heat loss as RusHydro closes plant

Residents of the village of Chulman in the Neryungri District of Yakutia face the threat of a complete cessation of heat supply. The Chulman Thermal Power Plant, owned by RusHydro, will be decommissioned on 1 June 2027. The Ministry of Housing and Utilities of Yakutia is aware of the situation and is seeking alternative heat sources. This was reported to 14.RU by the press service of the ministry.

According to the ministry, the administration of Chulman had known since May 2024 that the plant would be closed on 1 June 2026: a notice from the Neryungri Hydroelectric Station, part of JSC Far Eastern Generating Company (DGK), was sent to the village head. At that time, a deferral was obtained until June 2027. However, the situation is exacerbated by the fact that RusHydro has placed all losses from the extended operation on the local budget.

Chulman is home to over 7,000 people. The Chulman Thermal Power Plant has been in operation since 1960, and its equipment is heavily worn: over the past 20 years, the Far Eastern Generating Company has not carried out major repairs or modernization of the station, the Ministry of Housing and Utilities of Yakutia reported.

Residents are concerned that the issue has been hanging since 2024, and the oldest thermal power plant is their only source of heating. Although the Yuzhno-Yakutskaya Thermal Power Plant is being built nearby, it will only provide electricity without heating.

«We live in the Far North. Without heat in winter, it«s simply impossible to survive. A powerful station is being built nearby, but for us — nothing. Where to get heat in two years is unclear,» local residents share their fears on the Telegram channel »V Chulmane«.

The Ministry of Housing and Utilities of Yakutia told 14.RU that Chulman is included in the gasification program for Southern Yakutia, with the construction of a gas distribution station carried out by PJSC Gazprom, and the program is to be implemented by 2030.

Until then, the ministry will be looking for an investor to build several boiler houses in the village.

«As of today, work is underway to find a potential investor, financial and tariff models have been calculated. In December 2025, a proposal was received from an investor to conclude a concession agreement. Construction of new heat sources is planned to be completed before the start of the 2027–2028 heating season under the mechanism of concession agreements,» the ministry«s press service explained.

The volume of investment in the construction of new boiler houses in Chulman will be more than 5 billion rubles (approximately $55.5 million at current exchange rates). This was reported in September 2025 by the Minister of Housing and Utilities and Energy of the region, Vyacheslav Yemelyanov, during a live broadcast.