Vodokanal employees and management are leaving
The administration of Severouralsk is withdrawing heat supply facilities from the property of the declared bankrupt municipal unitary enterprise Komenergoresurs and is preparing for legal battles for hundreds of millions, behind which are the interests of SUBR, EnergosbyT Plus and Uralsevergaz. The boiler house, heating networks and equipment are valued at this amount, which, after transferring to the balance of the new office, the municipality is obliged to compensate. The mayor’s office, which already has successful experience in such proceedings, intends to significantly reduce the fee, and transfer the assets to the new municipal unitary enterprise “Teplomagistral” in the coming weeks. It is also planned to transfer the water supply and sewerage networks from the Severouralsky Vodokanal, created in December 2022, the recognition of which is required by the Federal Tax Service. At the same time, officials do not yet plan to revise the previously established tariffs for water and heat supply. Deputies and housing and communal services specialists talk about the unprofitability of operating utility assets and the likelihood of a repeat bankruptcy at Teplomagistral, the urgent need for additional investments in major repairs of networks, requests for which the mayor’s office ignored for at least a year and a half.
The mayor’s office of Severouralsk announced the transfer of the assets of the municipal unitary enterprise Komenergoresurs to the balance sheet of the municipality, and then to the new municipal unitary enterprise Teplomagistral. However, she did not indicate plans for further work with the asset.
Previously, the property was put up for auction with a starting price of 469 million rubles, but no buyers were found.
As the bankruptcy manager of Komenergoresurs told Pravda UrFO Ekaterina Shabuninaon account of the transfer of assets – the boiler house, heating networks and equipment – the mayor’s office will have to pay compensation, the amount of which will be determined in court.
The manager found it difficult to name the specific amount that will be recovered in favor of creditors – the main ones are Uralsevergaz (controlled by Rosneft), SUBR (part of UC RUSAL) and EnergosbyT Plus (T Plus), specifying only that the requirements are based on the commercial assessment of the objects determined at the start of bidding.
The mayor’s office will be forced to seek funds for compensation from the city budget or apply for subsidies from the region. At the same time, it is possible that the municipality will have to cut certain expenses. It is worth noting that the administration already has experience in such proceedings. Previously, when transferring cold water supply and wastewater networks from Komenergoresurs, the amount of compensation was reduced from 270 to 50 million rubles.
It was then refused to bring the administration to subsidiary liability for more than 800 million rubles, and today the collection of compensation for assets is the only way for creditors to recover significant funds during bankruptcy, which is likely to escalate the proceedings.
The boiler house and heat supply network are planned to be transferred to Teplomagistral in October. The staff will also be transferred there. The upcoming heating season, according to the speaker of the Duma Alexandra Kopylovathe enterprise will operate based on previously established tariffs for Komenergoresurs. Questions about his further support, the chairman notes, must be addressed to the head Svetlana Mironova and administration officials. The mayor’s office did not respond to the publication’s official request during the day.
So far, officials have only indicated that they will allocate 26 million rubles to pay off wage debts for Komenergoresurs employees. The funds were raised in the form of a budget loan.
The Federal Tax Service filed a bankruptcy claim against Severouralsky Vodokanal. At the end of 2023, the company suffered losses, which its management associated with high losses in networks, unfavorable tariffs and fees for water supply from SUBR. In support of Vodokanal, the mayor’s office allocated 15 million rubles, 3 of which went to pay salaries, the debt to the Federal Tax Service amounted to 68.2 million rubles, and utility companies are forced to claim this amount from the mayor’s office through the court.
Last summer in the municipality was marked by massive breakdowns in water supply and sewerage networks. The repairs were carried out mainly for emergency and routine repairs, and the mayor’s office postponed the possibility of attracting about 100 million for major repairs to 2025. Mainly routine repairs were also carried out at the transferred Komenergoresurs facilities.
The merger of assets in Teplomagistral, as experts in housing and communal services believe, in the current situation will lead to traditional unprofitability and a repeat of the fate of Komenergoresurs. No network overhaul.
