The Selection of the Optimal Price Category in the Retail Energy Market for Reducing the Electricity Costs of a Mining Enterprise

The problem of choosing the optimal price category of the Russian electricity retail market for a mining enterprise is addressed in the paper. An algorithm for calculating the electricity cost for several price categories has been presented; software based on the proposed algorithm has been developed. It is shown how the choice of the optimal price category reduces the electricity costs of the mining enterprise, and how the automation of tariff calculation using the developed software aids reducing the tariffs. The results of calculations of the costs for several price categories (from the 3
^rd
to 6
^th
categories in this research) are presented. The causes of differences in tariffs were analyzed, and the influence of the accuracy of the electricity consumption forecast on tariffs is considered. For the considered coal mining enterprise, due to tariff management, costs can be reduced by 4.6% (about 80 thousand $ per year).