Viktor Khristenko told a briefing after a Cabinet session on the reforms that 30 billion rubles ($1.2 billion) in 2007 federal budget funds had been provided for the electric power sector, and that the same sum would be allocated in 2008. In 2009, the figure will be doubled.
The sector has undergone radical changes in recent years, aimed at increasing the efficiency of power plants and developing the industry by attracting investment.
During the restructuring process, specialized structures have been created in place of the old vertically integrated companies.
By the end of the reforms, potentially competitive units of the industry - generation, sales and repair companies - will become mainly private and will compete with each other. However, natural monopoly functions - power transmission and dispatching - will remain state-controlled.
