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Russia’s energy utility company Unified Energy Systems, or RAO UES, will invest a total of 6 billion rubles ($246.9 million) into modernizing Primorye’s energy infrastructure, a statement from the regional administration reported Thursday.

The money is to be allocated with the agreement of a cooperative development of Primorye’s electrical power system signed between the utility representatives and the regional administration in Vladivostok and scheduled until 2012.

The finances will be used for creating new power generating facilities to increase the quality of energy supply to the region’s enterprises and housing districts.

Under the agreement, in 2008 the Artyomovsky heating and electric power plant will go through a renovation to give the region an additional volume of 120 megawatts. Primorye’s branch of the Far Eastern Electric Distributing Company will receive money for replacing worn-out transmission facilities parts, which will increase stability of the power supply to southern Primorye.

The deal also implies projecting plans for the Ussurisk heating and electric power plant in the years 2009 and 2010, with the first unit to be put into operation in 2012 to increase the overall volume of electricity generated in the region by 180 megawatts.

The modernization of another electric power plant in Partizansk is planned to boost its power generating volumes by 315 megawatts, the statement said.

Considerable finances are also planned to be invested into the region’s electric transmission facilities, by building a powerful transmission line between the village of Chuguyevka, the towns of Nakhodka and Spassk-Dalny, and Vladivostok by 2011.

Primorye is in urgent need of modernizing its energy system since electric energy demand is constantly growing. Currently the energy consumption in Primorye amounts to over 2,000 megawatts, the statement said.