In 2012 there were no man-caused emergency situations and natural emergency situations subject to statistical recording in compliance with the classification determined by the Regulation of the Government of the Russian Federation No.304 of May 21, 2007 on Classification of Man-caused and Natural Emergency Situations.

The climate pattern of the Northwestern Federal District is defined by the geographical location in high latitudes, its long mileage both from the north to the south and from the west to the east.

For the territory of the North-West the following emergency situations are typical:

• hurricane (squall) winds;
• low air temperatures, snowfalls with adhesion of wet snow to the wires in winter;
• spring floods (water logging by the territories during flood period);
• forest fires.

In 2012 natural hazards were observed during the period of spring flood in March-April in the territories of the Arkhangelsk Region. Due to a high tidal wave in the rivers flowing near the population centers there, were water loggings of the Company's facilities (OL, substations) and in the adjacent territories. During the period from May, 2012 to September, 2012 the territories of Vologda, Pskov, Novgorod Regions, and Republic of Karelia underwent thunderheads with the gusts from 22 m/s and higher which led to the complex technological disturbances. These disturbances were eliminated by operative, emergency recovery and mobile brigades available to the Company and by effort of contracting organizations within the established period.

Taking into account the geographical features of the region, forest areas and climatic conditions during spring-summer period there are prerequisites for fire hazardous environment in the territory of the Company's servicing, mainly in the Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Pskov, Novgorod Regions, in the Republic of Karelia, the Komi Republic and primarily in hard-to-reach areas. Considering the situation evolving in the constituent territories of the Region additional preventive measures are promptly taken for avoidance of forest fire development and suppression.

Considerable deterioration of electric network equipment both at JSC IDGC of the North-West and in the territorial network organizations constitutes a threat for ensuring stability of electric energy supply for economic entities and population in the serviced territories.

In order to minimize possible damage from hazard phenomena occurring in nature and technosphere, the Company timely conducts practice training for personnel's actions in emergency situations and for prevention and liquidation of possible accidents and emergencies. For this purpose in the Company:

• operations centers for prevention and liquidation of complex technological disturbances during the work of the electric grid complex have been created and functioning;
• 36 mobile brigades, which are designated for interaction between the branches, subsidiaries and dependent entities of JSC IDGC Holding, branches of JSC FGC UPS, and 69 mobile brigades designated for interaction between production subdivisions of the Company's branches have been created and are ready for operation;
• standards for provision of the mobile subdivision with personnel, transportation means, tools and devices, communication means, monetary reserves have been determined;
• the procedure and periods for assembly and moving-out of the mobile subdivision to a relevant area for performance of rescue and restoration operations;
• mobile forces and means are placed so that to ensure their most urgent arrival (delivery) to the place of performance of works and are ready to commence the performance of rescue and restoration operations within no more than 2 hours of occurrence of the event.

• The fleet of emergency electric power sources (427 units) has been created and is ready for operation. The emergency electric power sources are fully equipped, ready to be used and placed so that to ensure their most urgent delivery to the place of use.

• Mobile lighting installations (light-towers) are fully equipped, ready to be used and placed so that to ensure their most urgent their most urgent delivery to the place of use.

• 152 contracts (agreements) for interaction with the Government and local authorities, divisions of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of RF, other entities of the electric power industry, contracting organizations, etc. during liquidation the of complex technological disturbances have been made.

Training of the managerial human resources of emergency response and mobile brigades was performed in the course of joint exercise with the Regional headquarters for provision of electric energy supply safety, territorial executive agencies and local authorities, housing and utilities infrastructure organizations, subdivisions of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of RF, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense of the RF, contracting organizations, consumers. The total of 19 trainings was conducted.

The conducted exercises and training demonstrated high standards of professional knowledge of the Company's managerial and command personnel, management bodies in preparation of materials and making reasoned decisions for liquidation of possible emergency situations; the staff of freelance emergency rescue teams (FERT) have high preparedness and ability to the actions in emergency situations.

In accordance with Federal Law No.28-FZ of February 12, 1998 on Civil Defense and Regulation No.1340 of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 10, 1996 on the Procedure for Creation and Utilization of Material Resources Reserves for Liquidation of Man-made and Natural Emergency Situations the Company has formed the reserve of material and financial resources.

A material and technical base with storehouses, depots and open platforms, containers sufficient for acceptance, storage and keeping of material resources designated for liquidation of emergency situations and industrial needs is created in the Company. Formation of emergency stock is performed through purchases of materials and equipment transfer of materials specified in the project during reconstruction or new construction of facilities as well as reutilization of dismantled equipment. Annual inventory of emergency stock is carried out. The actions for liquidation of emergency situations are financed from the Company's financial reserves with further execution of necessary documentation and reimbursement of material damage to insurance company according to the contracts signed.

The principle directions of organization of work for maintaining of distribution electric grid facilities of the Company required for stable functioning of the economy and survival of the population in emergency situations in 2012 were:

• improvement of systems for notification, control and informing about emergency situations, implementation of centralized alarming systems;
• training of the managerial human resources to work in emergency situations and instructing the staff about safety performance and operational procedure when emergency situation occurs;
• equipping freelance emergency rescue teams (FERT) with devices of radiation, chemical and biological protection and radiation control;
• accumulation of individual respiratory and skin protection equipment;
• arrangement of medical supervision and control over the personnel's health status;
• conduct of exercises and trainings on actions in emergency situations with management bodies, FERT and personnel;
• fire precaution measures and physical security of activities;
• preparation of forces and means of localization of accidents and emergency situations;
• reconstruction and construction of facilities of the electric grid complex, including OL-10-0.4kV; CL-10-0.4 kV; transformer SS;
• extension of the fleet of emergency power sources;
• acquisition of new high capacity special engineering equipment.

In the structural subdivisions of the Company commissions for increase of stability of functioning of energy facilities have been established. Schedule-plans for extension of measures for increase of stability of energy facilities were formed.

Measures to ensure accident-free operation of facilities (including in emergency situations) and maintain a stable functioning of organizations, system of provision of the population in emergency situations were taken.

Programs and scientific research studies in the field of maintaining stable functioning of the energy facilities in emergency situations were developed and implemented.

The on-duty operating services were equipped with modern means of communication and notification and their 24-hour operation was organized.

In the reporting period training of management bodies and forces of Civil Defense and Emergency Situations Response, increase of their readiness, mobility and level of equipment with modern technical means and technologies of performance of rescue and restoration and other urgent works, including provision of modern equipment and instruments, was conducted in accordance with the plan and relevant regulations and normative and legal documents.

The Company carries out a number of measures designed for prevention of emergencies and technological disturbances, in particular:

• monitoring of environment in the electric grid complex and forecasting of appearance of complex technological, disasters and emergency situations;
• systematic analysis of emergency situations and complex technological disturbances in order to define possible reasons of their appearance and the character of their development;
• prevention of some adverse and dangerous acts of nature and disasters to the possible extent by systematic reducing their destructive potential (icing, accumulation of snow at supports by hillsides, etc.);
• systematic increase of technological safety of operating processes and equipment performance reliability;
• development and execution of engineering and technical measures (generation of spare parts and materials in the right quantity, engineering arrangements, etc.);
• conduct of exercises, trainings, maneuver;
• arrangement of global interaction with all entities of the power industry;
• conducting both regular and sampling audits and inspections of equipment operability, including standby facilities;
• timely execution of repair works for damaged equipment;
• taking actions on equipping and preparing of rescue and restoration brigades aimed at reduction of notification and assembly time and assurance of performance of tasks for liquidation of technological disturbances within the period specified by the requirements of JSC FGC UPS and JSC IDGC Holding.