The REN Cup of the CASE-IN championship identified the best projects for import substitution

At the REN Cup of the Championship "CASE-IN" the best projects for import substitution have been identified

The youth teams of Gazprom Neft PJSC, T Plus PJSC and STC FGC UES JSC became the winners of the REN Cup under the auspices of The International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN". A competition to solve an engineering case, held on October 14 in Moscow as part of The International Forum "Russian Energy Week", brought together the best representatives of the 10 largest industrial companies in the country and one specialized university.

 The event was attended by 12 teams representing ALROSA (PJSC), PJSC T Plus, PJSC ROSSETI North-West, JSC STC FGC UES, JSC Inter RAO – Electric Generation, GC Rosatom, JSC System Operator of the Unified Energy System, LLCIrkutsk Oil Company, JSC Orenburgneft, PJSC Gazprom Neft and Lipetsk State Technical University.

The teams were tasked with developing a policy for their companies in the field of technological sovereignty and specific import substitution solutions that would ensure the functioning of fuel and energy and mineral resource complexes in the autumn-winter period 2022/2023.

"Since 2019, the International Engineering CASE–IN Championship has been included in the Russia - Land of Opportunities platform. It's great that the Russian Energy Week Cup is held under the auspices of the championship and has become an annual attraction point for the best personnel and young specialists. Many thanks to the largest industry companies that sent teams to participate in the Cup. In my opinion, this is an indicator that companies are really interested in their own development. The participants solved important tasks of import substitution, continuous operation, and sustainable development of companies, and offered serious solutions. Regardless of who becomes the winner, I am convinced that the solutions obtained will be finalized and implemented. The contribution of each participant is important not only for companies, but also for the energy sector of our country as a whole. The Russia – Land of Opportunities platform is aimed at helping you achieve self-realization and career development. I invite you to participate in all our projects, competitions and Olympiads. Good luck!", – said the First Deputy General Director of the Russia – the Land of Opportunities platform Alexey Agafonov.

The ideas of the contestants were evaluated by experts from the Russian Energy Agency (REA of the Ministry of Energy of Russia), Zarubezhneft JSC, the Scientific and Educational Center for Computer Modeling of Unique Buildings, Structures and Complexes named after A. B. Zolotov, Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, St. Petersburg Mining University, National Research University Higher School of Economics.

The winner was the Gazpromneft Energosystem team from Gazprom Neft PJSC: Rosalina Galieva (captain), Mikhail Bakulin, Maxim Berezny and Anna Malyavina.

The REN Cup was presented to the champions personally by Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

The winners believe that the topic of the case is relevant in the current geopolitical situation and in the context of sanctions restrictions on the supply of imported generating equipment.

"We have tried to systematically solve this problem by working out the optimal list of import substitution scenarios covering both the medium and long-term prospects for the development of our company's energy supply systems., " He's telling me Rosalina Galieva. –  At the center of the solution is a new ecosystem in which the role of the oil and gas producing company is to form a technical policy for generation facilities, and the role of the manufacturer is to expand and diversify its range of capacities instead of imported ones. The advantages of such a scheme are obvious: optimization of delivery time and cost of equipment. In general, the solutions will ensure maximum energy independence in the field of production, service of generation facilities and energy supply."

According to Rosalina Galieva, the REN Youth Day annually pleases with the scale of events and the increasing number of participants.

"The forum has become a point of attraction for young specialists from the country's leading industrial companies. This is a unique opportunity for us to discuss current trends and prospects for the development of the fuel and energy complex, and to exchange ideas in the development of the energy industry. Participation in such events provides an opportunity to demonstrate their competencies, as well as to receive a boost and incentive for further development of interesting and key tasks in the field of energy and other related industries." – the captain of the team shares his emotions.

The Molotov Cocktail youth team, representing PJSC T Plus, took the second place. Andrey Matrunchik (captain), Anna Sysolyatina, Sergey Pletenev, Mikhail Churakov believe that the task of import substitution to ensure the smooth operation of energy facilities is solved by creating an IT competence center by T Plus, replacing automated control system equipment with domestic analogues, as well as using Russian equipment for burning crusty wood waste from the production cycle of the Central heating plant for urban heating.

"By participating in the championship, we develop the skills of conducting high-quality analytics in a time-limited environment, because we only have one week to solve the case., – noted Andrey Matrunchik. –  Every new day of work improved our skills. In general, such competitions develop the participants' soft skills, teach them how to present themselves and their project correctly, and give them public speaking skills. This is an invaluable experience and development in many areas."

According to the team members, the REN Youth Day is always a celebration: there are interesting lectures, interactive stands, famous participants and guests.

"Over time, you gain professional connections and meet acquaintances with whom you can exchange new knowledge. This year I decided to try myself in a new role and became an expert on the track "Youth Projects". You should definitely participate in the Youth Day! It allows us to feel the scale of the country's energy sector and once again realize that it is us, young people, who, with our ideas and projects, bring the fuel and energy sector to a new high level."The captain of the team is confident. 

Vyacheslav Chaikin (captain), Anton Ivanov and Oleg Anufriev from the Power of Youth team rounded out the top three. The project of the specialists of JSC STC FGC UES included an assessment of the volume of power electrical equipment and software, scenarios for the development of the current situation in the fuel and energy complex and the MSC in the context of import substitution of the electronic component base, proposals for achieving technological sovereignty.

"During the competition, we mastered the skills of teamwork and aggregation of different points of view to form the optimal solution to the problem., " He's telling me Anton Ivanov. – We also gained knowledge about the impact of sanctions and restrictive measures on company policies, and about the work carried out by the Russian Government and the Ministry of Energy to support fuel and energy complex and MSK enterprises."

At the REN Cup, the young people managed to create a strong team with a wide range of knowledge.

"This allowed us to come to synergy together and achieve a result. It's a wonderful experience working in a limited time, where everyone wants to give their maximum. At the events of the REN Youth Day, we gained new knowledge and found work for future projects. We had extremely positive impressions of the event, which energized us and gave us a new impetus for professional growth.", – counts Oleg Anufriev.

At the final session of the REN Youth Day, silver and bronze medals were presented to the team members by Anastasia Bondarenko, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation.

The best ideas announced at the REN Cup will be finalized for future use in companies. Their authors will be able to take advantage of new opportunities for personal and professional growth.