Company management speeches

O. Golikov: «Cooperation is a requirement for successful innovations»

Responding to the new trends in industry, PJSC EMAlliance has become the leader of power engineering in Russia and a key player in the global market. We consider innovation approach to be the critical factor of development while cooperation at all levels is a requirement for successful innovations. Our mission statement is construction of advanced-technology equipment to meet international quality standards and high environmental safety requirements, Oleg Golikov, General Director of PJSC EMAlliance says.

- Oleg Pavlovich, what do you think, from business point of view, about innovation way of development?

- Innovation projects are very important in power engineering to obtain orders in domestic and global markets. Customers want to have power-efficient and friendly-environmental products and manufacturers regularly propose new-developed improved products. If we want to compete with world’s leading companies, then we have no other way but innovations.

If we trace the history of the companies of EMAlliance group, ZIO-Podolsk and TKZ Krasny Kotelschik have not constructed even two identical boilers, the design of every successive boiler was improved and innovated.

Now the market sees the change of ownership in WGC and TGC and, obviously, this process has impact on the investment program of a particular company. It means that evolution of innovations in Russia will depend mostly on cooperation of a particular customer and supplier.

In general, coordination at every level is a requirement for successful innovation activities. The company shall create in-house system of solutions and corresponding measures of realization. Moreover, innovation activities of a particular company shall be coordinated with power engineering industry and the whole fuel-energy complex.

I’d like to give you an example. Today we tackle ultrasupercritical boilers. This innovation project brings many challenges, in particular, tailoring of design and creation of new grades of steel. We shall also think what turbine is fit for this boiler.

- What other innovation projects are developed by JSC EMAlliance?

- Besides ultrasupercritical boilers, the main projects are circulating fluidized bed boilers, coal gasification and efficient treatment of fuel gas. All these technologies meet today’s demand of power engineering and are based on state-of-the-art international experience.

Ultrasupercritical boilers (steam conditions 30 MPa, 600 ºC and higher) enable to increase efficiency of a power unit up to 45-47 % in comparison with current 34-38%. The increased efficiency will make coal-fired boilers competitive. Perhaps, Petrovskaya TPP will be the first Russian power plant with such kind of equipment.

CFB technology is used to fire low-quality solid fuel which includes not only coal but oilcoke, peat, shale and different types of biomass. Low temperature of combustion process reduces dangerous emissions and, thus, purification systems are not required. CFB boilers enable to achieve approximately 30 % reduction of dangerous emissions.

Coal gasification is another innovation developed in our company. We are particularly interested in gasification of melted slag. This technology brings to life the lasting dreams of boiler manufacturers to create all-fuel boiler which is able to fire any kind of fuel.

It is worth mentioning that this technology is at the boundary of two industries: metallurgy and power engineering. Firstly, this technology enables to fire any coal and generate electric power. Secondly, as a result of technological process, high-purity iron is produced in the form of cast iron which is required to melt pure steel. Most waste (slag, ash) is kept in the melted slag and further used on 100 % basis to manufacture building construction materials. At last in the future natural gas will be taken out of combined cycle and replaced with coal gasification products.

- Oleg Pavlovich, you mentioned that innovations are linked to higher environmental safety of equipment. How much are they linked?

- We equate the best technology with a clean technology, and we understand clearly that environmental regulations shall create positive economic drives.

Russian equipment will have higher environmental safety only after stronger regulations for dangerous emissions are adopted. Stronger ecological requirements will be additional reason to develop innovations in power machine-building.

- EMAlliance sees another new trend in the Russian market of power machine-building, it is construction of power plants on turn-key basis. The company declares about its activities as EPC-contractor…

- Yes, you are quite right, one of our purposes is to occupy up to 30 % EPC-contracting market in Russia. New approach to marketing in Russia gives us a number of advantages.

Firstly, EMAlliance consolidates not only manufacturing facilities but the leading designers as well. Secondly, we have been working on EPC-project and we expect to be awarded with two more contracts of such type this year. Within the frame of these contracts we will elaborate our project management system. Thirdly, we have vast experience in manufacture and supply of equipment.

We have no doubt that EPC-contracting will become the important line of power engineering evolution in Russia and EMAlliance will take the key position at this market.

- What would you call the main obstacle which hampers innovations?

- There are no big Russian projects to realize. We can develop innovations within the frame of our in-house investment programme, if, however, the innovated power unit has no demand then our innovations make no sense. When we have actual projects to fulfill, it will be not so difficult to handle the rest problems such as to hire qualified staff, to increase the profitability of production, to reduce the cost of products and to develop new technologies.

«Российская газета»

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