GASIFICATION MODEL AS A FACTOR IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS

Sustainable rural development implies balancing of economic, social and environmental factors affecting quality of life. Achieving sustainable development is impossible without ensuring access of rural communities to uninterrupted and cost-effective supply of energy. High-quality socio-economic infrastructure for rural areas implies constant physical and economic access of households to energy resources. The purpose of the study is to develop recommendations for economically and environmentally efficient energy supply to the rural population. To achieve this goal, the following tasks are solved. Firstly, the environmental and economic advantages of using gas as a source of energy supply to the rural population are revealed. Secondly, calculations and comparative analysis of various gas supply options are carried out to ensure sustainable development of rural areas. Thirdly, cost-effective gas supply options are substantiated, depending on the characteristics of the population distribution. The article examines comparative efficiency of connections of rural communities to sources of gas supply against other methods of energy supply in rural areas. The analysis is made for purposes of regional planning for building a sustainable energy supply system for rural communities and does not provide for studying use of gas by non-household customers. The analysis takes into account settlement patterns of rural communities, economic and environmental factors, as well as the risks of ensuring the uninterrupted supply of necessary energy resources. Comparative advantages and disadvantages of connections to distribution pipelines vs. use of gasholders are evaluated. The paper analyses one of the regions of the North-West Federal District of the Russian Federation.