Russia's power industry is planning to pour $100bn into modernising the country's creaking electricity network. But it may not find enough engineers for the job.

Faced with serious skills shortages, Unified Energy System, the electricity monopoly, is scouring the globe. It has long hired engineering contractors from old Soviet states, but is now looking in China, the European Union, Turkey and Iran. "We're worried about labour with so many projects to be developed at the same time," said Sergei Dubinin, the group's chief financial officer.