Yekaterinburg is going to host the 5th International Conference on Heating Equipment Restoration, Maintenance, and Repair on March 28-30, 2007. According to the spokesperson for Ural Turbine Plant, the conference is aimed at information exchange and experience-sharing. The participants (executives of RAO UES of Russia, territorial power generating companies, power stations, contractors, and machine-building enterprises from Russia, Ukraine, Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, Europe, and Japan, as well as faculty of industrial colleges) are to discuss the ways of upgrading equipment, using advanced turbine-making technologies, cooperating with foreign partners, and handling the power shortage problem.

Sverdlovsk Region has been developing quite rapidly and therefore has to heavily rely on the local power suppliers; yet the equipment these suppliers use is obsolete and needs to be upgraded or replaced. According to the regional Ministry for Industry, Power Engineering, and Science, Sverdlovsk Region will need additional 3,000 megawatts a year for its ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgical enterprises and machine-building companies.

The conference is coordinated by RAO UES of Russia, TeploEnergoService, Ural Turbine Plant, Ural Power Engineers Research Center, the chair of turbines and engines of Ural State Technical University, and Innovational Power Engineering Club.