Theoretical and practical aspects of the transformation of the electric power industry in the context of energy transition and regional imbalances

The current stage of development of the world and Russian electric power industry is characterized by fundamental changes caused by the need for decarbonization, and maintenance of energy security and technological sovereignty. The article deals with the study of theoretical and practical aspects of transformation of electric power industry in the context of energy transition and existing regional imbalances. The purpose of the study is to reveal territorial imbalances of development of electric power complex of the Russian Federation and to justify the need for a differentiated approach to strategic planning of its development. The methodological base involves a system approach, statistical methods and methods of strategic analysis are used. The review of domestic and foreign scientific publications is used to systematize theoretical approaches to energy transition with the consideration of spatial differentiation, and to identify sustainable regional imbalances in the electric power consumption and the structure of generating capacities. The study involves statistical processing of data of the Federal State Statistics Service, and the system operator of the UES of Russia, which made it possible to analyze the dynamics of electric power consumption by federal districts and united energy systems within the period from 2010 to 2024. The authors present the assessment of changes in the structure of installed capacity of generating facilities. The results have shown sustainable growth of electric power consumption in the whole country (by 11.2% in 2020–2024) with uneven regional dynamics. The continued dominance of thermal generation (65.2%) was revealed, while the share of nuclear and renewable energy increased. It has been stated that ignoring spatial imbalances in electric power consumption and the structure of generating capacities reduces the efficiency of the power system. The authors have made a conclusion about the need for implementing differentiated strategies in the regions.Â