The structure of Rosatom blocked financial flows in the housing and communal services of Ozersk. MMPCH seeks money for heating season in court

Unprofitable MUP accumulates debts to NOVATEK-Chelyabinsk and Uralenergosbyt

The heating season in Ozersk (ZATO Rosatom) was in jeopardy due to the conflict between Rusatom Infrastructure Solutions and the Municipal Unitary Diversified Public Utilities Enterprise. The heat supplier, which owns the Argayash CHPP, increased the supply of the resource in the past autumn-winter period, and eventually considered the lost funds as excess losses, the payment for which, apparently, was unilaterally deducted from the owner of the heating networks. The amount exceeded 100 million rubles. As a result, MMPKH lost several months of revenue and was forced to temporarily transfer part of the networks to the municipality for repairs. While the company assures that it will “be adequately prepared” for the heating season, and the mayor’s office prefers not to talk about the problematic situation, insiders talk about a shortage of funds and the risks associated with this. Moreover, according to market participants, the conflict with offsets may spread to the neighboring village of Novogorny, where Rusatom Infrastructure Solutions received the status of a single heat supply organization this year, and the networks are owned by MUP Housing and Public Utilities. At present, the municipal enterprise is trying to return the funds in arbitration, and the government of the region is also conducting an “analysis of the situation”, however, so far without obvious results.

In the Arbitration Court of the Chelyabinsk Region, the MMPKH is demanding that RIR JSC (part of Rosatom State Corporation) return 141 million rubles for heat transportation over several months of 2023, as well as about 3 million rubles in interest for the use of funds. The company is also contesting the conclusion of three unilateral netting agreements in parallel.

According to the interlocutors of the publication in the public utilities market, the offset was formed by deducting from the funds for the transportation of heat a fee for excess losses from the RIR, which received the status of a single heat supply organization. Moreover, losses in the heating season 2022-2023, according to industry experts, have increased significantly. After the imbalance of the heat supply system, due to which the temperature in the apartments of Ozersk residents dropped significantly in November, the owner of the Argayash CHPP decided to increase heat supply by 20-25%. In general, excess losses amounted to more than 150 million rubles, the interlocutors of the publication in the housing and communal services sector of Ozersk cite their estimates.

“The fact is that 70% of residents pay for heat according to the standard approved back in the 2000s. There have been attempts to revise it, but so far to no avail. 30% of homes with appliances and residents pay on consumption. When heat supply increases, the supplier considers unpaid gigacalories as excess losses and issues an invoice to MMPKH. In February, for example, the increase in vacations resulted in 71 million rubles. For the MMPCH, these are unbearable amounts. It is also necessary to pay other resource providers, for example, NOVATEK, – an informed interlocutor close to Rosatom shares his vision of the conflict with the publication.

At the moment, the industry has doubts about the legality of offsets, since RIR pays as a service under two contracts: as part of the transportation of heat through networks in Ozersk and in the village of Metlino, which is heated by the MMPKH boiler house.

Interlocutors of Pravda UrFO among lawyers point out that the unilateral netting agreement itself is acceptable, but can be challenged if the owner of the networks proves that the payment should have gone through in a different way.

“Court hearings can drag on for a long time, and the funds of the IMPAC for preparations for the heating season are needed now. In the city, several houses stand without hot water in the summer, because there are no funds even to purchase the simplest 50-mm pipes, ”says the source of the publication, who is closely familiar with the urban housing and communal services system in Ozersk.

At the same time, the MMPKH states that the preparation is going on as planned, and the only thing that currently needs funds is about 100 million rubles – the construction of a new boiler house in the village of Metlino. Note that after the loss of the ETO status, the municipal enterprise continues to be unprofitable. So, at the end of 2022, its revenue amounted to 447 million rubles, and the cost of sales was 586 million. The net loss was recorded in the amount of 79 million rubles. The accounts payable of the enterprise, although decreased by 114 million rubles (to 1.646 billion), are still several times higher than the accounts receivable (400 million).

In the administration of the municipality, a working group has already been created to resolve the conflict, which included representatives of the MMPKH, RIR, officials and deputies of the city assembly. However, the negotiators avoid commenting on the situation. “Good deeds love silence,” said, for example, the chairman of the assembly of deputies, Sergei Gergenreider.

The MMPKH advised the publication to contact the mayor’s office for clarification, and the press service of the administration refused to publicize the details, citing the non-interference of economic entities in the conflict. The RIR even called the dispute a “working situation”, while talking in detail about the preparations for the heating season and plans for the modernization of the Argayash CHPP, where the owner intends to invest more than 1 billion rubles.

“Before the start of the heating season, the overhaul of boilers No. 2 and No. 3 (Argayash CHPP) will be completed, medium and current repairs have already been completed at other boiler units. The overhaul of turbine unit No. 5 is also on schedule. The boiler unit for heat supply in the Novogorny settlement has been repaired, and the repair of boiler units used for heat supply in Ozersk and Mayak Production Association is nearing completion, the press service of the company said.

Meanwhile, speaking of the conflict, the industry does not rule out that the netting scheme this year may also extend to the Municipal Unitary Enterprise Housing and Public Utilities of the village. Novogorny, operating networks and serving the housing stock. In July 2023, Rusatom Infrastructure Solutions also received UTO status in this territory. It should be noted that this year alone, the heat supplier collects more than 70 million rubles from the municipal unitary enterprise housing and communal services. At the end of 2022, the company’s accounts payable amounted to 130 million, receivables – 87 million rubles.

“In Novogorny, the annual shortfall in payments from the population is 10-12 million rubles. At the meeting of the working group, the issue of paying off the debts of MUP Housing and Public Utilities to the RIR with the help of the municipality was raised, and in this case the heat supplier was ready to abandon the dispute with MMPKH on unilateral write-off. This item was proposed to be included in the final protocol, but the RIR opposed this, ”the insider shares.