Konstantin Pulikovsky, the president's envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, said the first stage of the reform had made "electric power systems more reliable, improved the financial position of energy companies, and ensured the growth of energy capacities and a more disciplined approach to electricity payments in the Far East."
But he said local authorities had failed to curb growth in energy tariffs in the Far East as compared with the west of Russia. As a result, he said the output of Far Eastern companies was not competitive on the Russian market and could hardly find demand in the west.
Anatoly Chubais, the chief executive of Russia's electric power monopoly, Unified Energy Systems, the heads of Far Eastern energy companies and regional divisions of federal bodies, and top officials from Russia's regions are attending the conference.
