TGC-14 attributes TEC-2 issues in Chita to bitter cold

On January 29, the power supply company TGC-14 explained in its Telegram channel that interruptions in operations in Zabaykalsky Krai and the Republic of Buryatia were due to «abnormally low temperatures.» Regarding the failure at TEC-2, the company reported that they are «addressing the issue of restoring load.»

«Dear consumers, PJSC TGC-14 is today facing the same problems as most energy companies operating in the Far Eastern Federal District, due to abnormal weather conditions and temperature fluctuations,» the message said.

The company noted that repair crews are working around the clock. What exactly happened at Chita«s TEC-2 was not specified.

«We are addressing issues both with restoring the load at TEC-2 in Chita and with the failure of two boilers at the Yugo-Zapadnaya boiler house in Ulan-Ude, where a crew of 25 people is working and an operational headquarters has been set up to eliminate outages,» the post stated.

They also reported on the restoration of temperature in School No. 49, where students were switched to remote learning due to the cold: «Regarding School 49 in Chita, necessary measures have been taken, the temperature standard has been restored and is now 19–20 degrees Celsius (66–68°F). Window adjustments and repairs are being carried out, which will also help raise the temperature in the classrooms of the new building.»

Residents of Chita on January 29 reported that temperatures in apartments dropped to 16–18 degrees Celsius (61–64°F). TGC-14 explained that they reduced the underheating of network water at TEC-2, but it still does not meet the temperature schedule.

The cold in School No. 49 in Chita became known on December 27. Children had to sit in class in their outerwear. The education committee then reported that elementary school students would be switched to remote learning from January 28, followed by the other schoolchildren. At the same time, the committee sent a letter to TGC-14 urging them to bring the heating parameters, which had indeed decreased, into compliance with standards. School director Elena Azbukina recorded a video address in which she spoke about moving the children to remote learning and that the school is waiting for TGC-14 to resolve the heating problem.

The previous failure at TEC-2 was on December 4. Residents of several houses in the 1st microdistrict and on Promyshlennaya Street complained about the cold. The management company reported problems in 21 houses. TGC-14 then responded that technological problems had arisen with the thermal-mechanical equipment at TEC-2, causing parameters in the heating networks to be lowered.

Chita«s TEC-2 is the oldest combined heat and power plant in Zabaykalsky Krai — it provides heat to the Ingodinsky and Central districts of the regional center, meaning about 30% of Chita. The remaining volume is distributed between TEC-1 and a small number of surviving boiler houses. In 2021, TEC-2 celebrated its 85th anniversary. State Duma deputy Andrey Gurulev on Vladimir Solovyov»s talk show criticized the energy sector of Zabaykalsky Krai because the generators at TEC-2 have not been modernized since 1963.