Geo-Economic Aspects of Power Industry Development of Baikal Region

The article considers the development issues of the electric power economy in the Baikal region as one of directions for implementing its geo-economic potential. The consistent integration of the regions energy system into the national and the international energy systems will facilitate the implementation of the regional natural and resource potential and the effective identification of its economy in the world geo-economic space. At the same time, the Baikal region is considered to be an integral transboundary territorial structure based on the basin approach, since it is the hydrosphere objects that form its economic landscape. The article also points out that the further increase of the use of the regional hydro resources in the electric power industry is ecologically inexpedient or it even has reached its limit, since this adversely affects the ecosystem of the Baikal Basin and violates the principle of basin solidarity. It is reasonably proposed to develop the coal-fired generation based on ecologically safer water-coal fuel, as a measure for developing the regional electric power complex.