EEF-2025: Early Results. What Was Signed and What Business Promised

The first two days were packed with industry agreements. Below are the key ones, focusing on those that change the parameters for business in the Far East.

Energy and Power Generation

RusHydro × coal mining company Coalstar. An agreement has been signed for long-term fuel supplies to Far Eastern thermal power plants at prices "factored into tariffs." RusHydro will purchase more than 10 million tons of coal annually for power generation in the Far Eastern Federal District. For the markets, this is an important anti-crisis mechanism: predictable coal prices reduce thermal generation losses and smooth out volatility. It's also a signal of support for Russia's coal mining industry, which is experiencing a crisis in 2025: against the backdrop of falling global prices and shrinking markets, the industry, according to Rosstat data, became the only unprofitable one in the country, recording a net loss of 185.2 billion rubles.

Rosatom: Wind and Nuclear Power Plants. The nuclear holding has three focus areas. First, "green" generation: plans have been announced for the construction of the region's first wind power plant in Amur Oblast with a capacity of up to 400 MW. Amur Oblast Governor V. Orlov noted that the region is "interested in developing this energy sector and will provide comprehensive support to the investor."

Second, nuclear power generation: representatives of the state corporation confirmed that a site for a potential new small nuclear power plant with a capacity of 100–150 MW is being discussed in Vladivostok. According to Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev, construction of the plant will create a significant socioeconomic impact. Up to 2,000 specialists will build the reactors, along with related services and production facilities. And to prepare personnel for the "megaproject," the state corporation plans to collaborate with leading universities in the Far East. And although the construction site was not announced at the EEF, RBC Primorye reported that there is already a schedule for "laying the foundation stone"—the end of 2027.

Overall, the Far Eastern Federal District has a fairly low level of low-carbon energy use; regions have been "sitting" on coal from Yakutia, Kuzbass, and Khakassia for decades. And according to Likhachev, Rosatom plans to increase this figure from 1% to 25% by 2030.

LNG and China. Independent analyst and founder of the macroeconomic Telegram channel "Sobachye serdtse" believes that the most significant event of the first day of EEF-2025 was the official confirmation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from the sanctioned Arctic LNG-2 plant owned by Novatek. "This demonstrates a breakthrough of Western sanctions in the energy sector. In the context of geopolitical tensions, including President Putin's visit to Beijing and the strengthening of Russian-Chinese partnership, such a delivery signals Russia's ability to circumvent U.S. restrictions," the expert emphasized in a conversation with Argument.

Banks and infrastructure

VEB.RF: Vladivostok office and SZPK. Head of the state corporation Igor Shuvalov at the EEF announced that VEB.RF is considering opening an office in Vladivostok with a focus on the Arctic and Far Eastern agenda—a move that would enable "round-the-clock operations" by leveraging time zones and providing closer support for regional projects.

But the main task is investment. VEB.RF Deputy Chairman Murat Kerefov at one of the sessions emphasized that the Far East accounts for nearly half of all investments directed into projects through the mechanism of investment protection and promotion agreements (SPIC). The state corporation handles the administration of such agreements. Already 74 agreements have been signed, with declared investment volumes exceeding 3.5 trillion rubles (approximately 4.2 trillion rubles including VAT). For developers and industry, this expands the "window" for long-term financing (which is critically important given high interest rates) and accelerates deal closures.

Sber: Interest Rates and the AI Agenda. Herman Gref on the sidelines of the forum stated that Sberbank expects the Central Bank's key rate by the end of 2025 to be around 14%—which opens a window for refinancing and relaunching postponed investment projects in the second half of the year. However, according to Gref, this is insufficient to revive the economy; a level of at least 12% is needed given current inflation levels. Regarding specific activities, Sber, in its status as "GigaPartner," deployed an interactive booth-"branch" at the EEF and is showcasing generative AI cases for SMEs and retail. The bank also reported successfully repelling several massive DDoS attacks on the forum's infrastructure. This is particularly relevant in light of recent attacks on infrastructure such as Aeroflot's. In short, the "green bank" remains in the role of a megacorporation that can speak openly about the economy and key rates, tout its neural networks, and handle information security.

Logistics and e-commerce: A New "Assembly Point" in Yakutsk

The Government of the Republic of Sakha and the company "RVB" (the merged entity of Wildberries and Russ) announced plans to build a logistics center in Yakutsk worth up to 1.8 billion rubles. For the marketplace, this means strengthening the "last mile" and reducing delivery times across the Northeast, while for regional SMEs it means faster access to federal demand. Wildberries will also launch three more logistics centers in other Far Eastern regions with a total area of 600,000 square meters. It's worth noting the difference in approaches among Russia's major marketplaces: while Ozon focuses on central Russia (with Moscow alone accounting for 40% of turnover), and Yandex Market has followed in Azbuka Vkusa's footsteps into the comfort and premium segments (including a focus on electronics), Wildberries has chosen an extensive path and is flooding the regions. And this is good, because the Far East (due to its low population density) has long been neglected even by traditional major retail.

What to watch next

Major oil and gas players haven't surprised us with anything new yet, though after the announcement of the Power of Siberia-2 agreement at the SCO summit, it's hard to think of anything more significant. So there are unlikely to be any interesting developments there.

For now, we can calmly prepare for the main event: the plenary session with Vladimir Putin's participation. Last year, the president's opening speech essentially became a "development manifesto" for the Far East, and it seems this year it would be appropriate to take stock of initial results, especially since key geopolitical statements have already been made in China. As expert Alexander Belov noted: "The Far East needs accelerated development of networks and capacity to handle the growth in energy consumption. Ultimately, infrastructure will ensure economic stability." So we'll be watching closely, particularly the energy component of the president's address.