Inter RAO
Corporate brand
UnclaimedInter RAO is a Russian diversified electricity and energy-infrastructure holding company engaged in generation, supply, trading, engineering, and power-grid operations.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Inter RAO is a diversified Russian energy holding company headquartered in Moscow. Its activities span electricity and heat generation, retail and wholesale power supply, international electricity trading, engineering, equipment and infrastructure development, and the operation of electricity-distribution networks. The group combines utility ownership with cross-border energy commerce and engineering capabilities, making it one of Russia’s major integrated power businesses. The company was established in 1997 as a subsidiary of RAO UES, Russia’s former unified electricity utility. Its initial role was principally international electricity trading. In 2002, Inter RAO expanded into electricity exports from Russia and began developing its own generation capacity. During the mid-2000s it pursued an acquisition-led expansion, taking stakes in generation and trading businesses in Russia and neighboring markets. Among the assets associated with this period were interests in Ekibastuz GRES-2 in Kazakhstan, the North-West Thermal Power Plant, TGR Energy, and the Cuciurgan power station in Moldova. Inter RAO’s position changed substantially during the restructuring of Russia’s electricity sector and the breakup of RAO UES. In 2008, the company acquired or consolidated a number of Russian generating assets, including the Sochi Thermal Power Plant, North-West Thermal Power Plant, Ivanovo combined-cycle power plant, and Kaliningrad CHPP-2. It also acquired the remaining interest in the Cuciurgan power station. Subsequent transfers of electricity-sector assets from Russian state entities and the state property system enlarged the group’s portfolio. These transfers included stakes in Russian generation companies and interests in energy assets in Armenia and Tajikistan. The group’s generation portfolio has been described as having approximately 28 gigawatts of combined installed capacity. Its Russian operations include power-generation and power-supply businesses, while international activities have included thermal and hydroelectric generation, electricity trading, and distribution networks. Inter RAO has controlled or operated distribution businesses in the South Caucasus, including Power Grids of Armenia and Telasi. Its trading subsidiaries have included Eastern Energy Company, RAO Nordic Oy, TGR Enerji, and Inter RAO Lietuva. Electricity trading has historically connected Inter RAO with Finland, Lithuania, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, and other neighboring markets. A long-term electricity-supply arrangement with China supported increased exports in 2021, when the company raised deliveries above its planned level in response to a request from Chinese counterparts. The group also announced plans to supply Kazakhstan during a period of domestic power shortage. Cross-border operations became more politically and commercially exposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In May of that year, the Finnish subsidiary RAO Nordic announced that electricity deliveries to Finland would stop, citing payment-related circumstances in one announcement and, in another, the suspension of imports because of a lack of payment. Inter RAO is closely associated with Russian state ownership. A 2018 shareholder breakdown identified Rosneftegaz, FGC UES, Inter RAO Capital, and free-float shareholders as the principal ownership blocks. The company has also been described as holding a monopoly over Russian electricity imports and exports. Its scale has made it a significant participant in Russia’s electricity system, although its international activities and access to foreign markets have been affected by geopolitical tensions and sanctions-related measures. The group’s engineering strategy is intended to complement its generation and utility businesses. It covers energy-infrastructure design, construction coordination, equipment delivery and installation, commissioning, maintenance, and the manufacture of boiler and turbine equipment. Through this integrated model, Inter RAO seeks to participate across the life cycle of thermal and other power facilities rather than relying only on electricity sales. Publicly reported financial information has placed 2021 revenue at 89 billion Russian rubles, although the supplied reference does not provide a detailed accounting basis or comparative figures for that number.
History
Inter RAO originated in 1997 as an international-trading subsidiary of RAO UES, the former Russian unified electricity company. At first, its principal function was to facilitate cross-border electricity transactions. In 2002, the business began exporting electricity from Russia and also moved into electricity generation, establishing the basis for its later integrated utility model. The company expanded through acquisitions during the 2000s. In 2005 it obtained stakes in Ekibastuz GRES-2 in Kazakhstan, the North-West Thermal Power Plant, TGR Energy, and the Cuciurgan power station. These transactions extended its reach beyond trading into generation and international operating assets. In early 2008, Inter RAO was listed on the MICEX and RTS exchanges. During the same year it acquired or consolidated several Russian generating facilities, including the Sochi Thermal Power Plant, the North-West Thermal Power Plant, Ivanovo CCPP, and Kaliningrad CHPP-2. It also purchased the remaining 49 percent of Cuciurgan. The restructuring of RAO UES and the wider reform of Russia’s electricity sector led to further changes in Inter RAO’s ownership and asset base. Shares in a range of power companies were transferred to Inter RAO by Russian state-linked organizations and state property entities. The transferred interests included stakes in Irkutskenergo, OGK-1, OGK-4, OGK-5, TGC-6, TGC-7, TGC-11, Kuzbassenergo, and Bashkirenergo. International interests included a stake in Sangtuda 1 Hydroelectric Power Plant in Tajikistan and full ownership of Razdan Thermal Power Plant in Armenia. Inter RAO’s public-market profile grew after its 2008 listings. Its shares entered the MSCI Emerging Markets Index in 2009, and the company ranked fifth in Standard & Poor’s informational-transparency assessment of Russian energy companies at the end of that year. By 2011, the group had become one of Russia’s largest publicly traded energy companies. Reference material reports 2011 revenue of approximately US$18.24 billion, compared with US$15.28 billion in 2010, and net income of about US$1.41 billion, compared with US$614 million in 2010. The same material reports more than 47,000 employees at the end of 2011. These historical figures are provided as reported reference data and should not be treated as current performance measures. The group developed a broad operating model covering generation, electricity supply, trading, distribution, and engineering. In Russia it operates power-supply companies and generation assets. Outside Russia, its activities have included electricity traders, generation facilities, and grid operators. The group’s trading network has included RAO Nordic in Finland, Inter RAO Lietuva in Lithuania, TGR Enerji in Turkey, and Eastern Energy Company for trade with China. Its distribution interests in the South Caucasus have included Power Grids of Armenia and Telasi. International trading became increasingly affected by geopolitics. In 2021, Inter RAO increased electricity deliveries to China under a 25-year agreement dating from 2012 and considered a request to raise deliveries further. It also discussed supplying Kazakhstan during a domestic shortage. In May 2022, RAO Nordic announced the suspension of electricity deliveries to Finland. The announcements referred to payment issues, while the timing also followed Finland’s political statements supporting NATO membership. The episode occurred within the wider pattern of sanctions, counter-sanctions, and disrupted energy relationships following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Inter RAO remains a state-linked Russian energy group whose activities combine utility operation with infrastructure engineering. Its engineering business includes design, project coordination, equipment supply and installation, commissioning, maintenance, and the production of boiler and turbine equipment. The company has presented engineering as a way to support its own generation portfolio and compete for a significant share of Russia’s thermal-power engineering and equipment market.
- 2022
Electricity deliveries to Finland halted
[1]RAO Nordic announced the suspension of electricity deliveries to Finland amid payment issues and worsening Russia-Finland geopolitical relations.
- 2021
Higher electricity supplies to China
[1]Inter RAO increased electricity supplies to China under a long-term agreement and addressed a request for further deliveries.
- 2011
Large-scale public energy group
[1]Reference material reported revenue of US$18.24 billion, net income of US$1.41 billion, and more than 47,000 employees for the period.
- 2009
Added to MSCI Emerging Markets Index
[1]Inter RAO shares were included in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, and the company received a high placement in a Russian energy-sector transparency ranking.
- 2008
Russian listings and generation-asset consolidation
[1]The company obtained listings on the MICEX and RTS and expanded its Russian generation portfolio while acquiring the remaining interest in Cuciurgan.
- 2005
Major acquisition expansion
[1]Inter RAO acquired or took significant stakes in several generation and trading assets, including Ekibastuz GRES-2, the North-West Thermal Power Plant, TGR Energy, and Cuciurgan.
- 2002
Begins electricity exports and generation
[1]The company began exporting electricity from Russia and started generating electricity itself.
- 1997
Established as a RAO UES subsidiary
[1]Inter RAO was created with an initial focus on international electricity trading.
Products and positioning
A large, state-linked Russian integrated power holding company combining generation, electricity supply, cross-border trading, distribution-grid operations, and energy engineering.
Utility generation · 2002
Electricity and heat generation
Inter RAO owns or controls a broad portfolio of electricity-generating assets, particularly thermal plants in Russia and selected facilities abroad. Its generation business produces electricity and, where applicable, heat for wholesale markets, industrial customers, and local power systems. The group’s reported combined installed capacity has been approximately 28 GW.
Energy supply
Electricity supply
The group operates Russian electricity-supply companies serving wholesale and retail customers. This business connects generated or purchased power with end users and complements Inter RAO’s generation and trading activities.
Energy trading · 1997
International electricity trading
Inter RAO conducts cross-border electricity trading through subsidiaries and affiliated businesses. Historical trading markets have included Finland, Lithuania, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, and Turkey, with Eastern Energy Company focused on trade with China and RAO Nordic serving the Nordic market.
Power networks
Electricity distribution
Inter RAO has controlled distribution-grid companies in the South Caucasus, including Power Grids of Armenia and Telasi. These operations manage electricity-network infrastructure and distribution services rather than generation alone.
Engineering services
Energy engineering
The engineering business covers power-infrastructure design, construction coordination, equipment delivery and installation, commissioning, configuration, maintenance, and the manufacture of boiler and turbine equipment. It is intended to support both Inter RAO’s own assets and external energy projects.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2022
Suspension of electricity deliveries to FinlandStrategyBackground
RAO Nordic cited payment-related difficulties, while the suspension followed Finland’s public support for NATO membership and broader Russia-related sanctions and counter-sanctions.
Action taken
The subsidiary halted electricity deliveries to Finland in May 2022.
Aftermath
The decision illustrated the disruption of Inter RAO’s European cross-border trading relationships after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
2021
Increase in electricity exports to ChinaStrategyBackground
Chinese counterparts requested additional electricity supplies under a long-term agreement signed in 2012.
Action taken
Inter RAO raised deliveries to China by approximately 90 percent above the planned amount and indicated that it would largely meet the further request.
Aftermath
The decision increased the importance of China in the group’s cross-border electricity-trading business.
2008
Consolidation of Russian generation assetsM&ABackground
Inter RAO was reorganizing and expanding during the transformation of Russia’s electricity sector.
Action taken
The company acquired several Russian power plants and purchased the remaining 49 percent of the Cuciurgan station.
Aftermath
The transactions strengthened Inter RAO’s position as an integrated electricity producer and trader.
2005
Acquisition of generation and trading interestsM&ABackground
The company sought to broaden its operations beyond cross-border electricity transactions.
Action taken
Inter RAO acquired stakes in Ekibastuz GRES-2, the North-West Thermal Power Plant, TGR Energy, and the Cuciurgan power station.
Aftermath
The acquisitions expanded the group’s generation base and international operating footprint.
2002
Expansion from trading into generationStrategyBackground
Inter RAO had initially been established as an international electricity-trading subsidiary.
Action taken
The company began exporting electricity from Russia and developing its own generation activities.
Aftermath
This decision established the integrated generation-and-trading model that later defined the group.
Sources1 sources
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