The increasing focus on environmental priorities in the global and Russian policy, creation of the liberalized electricity market, and attraction of investments in energy industries predetermined the enhancement of the role of ecological component in the energy sector. Therefore, improving the ecological efficiency of the power industry is one of the most important conditions for sustainable development of both the industry and the country as a whole. Currently, the electricity generation facilities operating on hydrocarbon fuels are among the major emitters of greenhouse gases and other polluting substances, large consumers of fresh water, and land pollutants. One of the major problems of ecological optimization of electric power industry development is a comprehensive reduction of adverse impact on the environment through various nature protection measures, including the introduction of tougher environmental standards in the sphere of energy production and consumption without sacrificing the economic growth. In the study, the authors analyzed the dynamics and volumes of negative impact of the Russian power industry on the environment. The authors also reviewed the methods of control and minimization of negative impact used in other countries, and described the practical application of environmentally friendly economic mechanisms. The article includes the analysis of the Russian legal and regulatory framework governing the procedure for and the scope of environmental charges, and reveals the disadvantages of the existing economic mechanism of environmental protection on the case of the Krasnodar region. The authors propose the main areas of improving the existing system of standardization. The paper concludes on the need for developing industry-specific mechanisms to regulate the negative impact of energy facilities on the environment, which will help achieve effective results by considering the features of natural-climatic, economic and social aspects of each individual region.
Keywords: electric power industry, power plant unit, environmental management, environment, protection, nature, adverse effect, impact, pollutants discharge, environmental charges, emissions penalty, standards
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