Wind turbines are seen in sunflower field during sunset outside Ulyanovsk, Russia July 20, 2020. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

April 5 (Reuters) - Russia's Energy Ministry expects to delay by a further year and a half a programme for selecting new renewable energy projects, which are heavily reliant on foreign equipment, Pavel Snikkars, a deputy minister, told reporters on Tuesday.

The programme is aimed at funding renewable energy projects as countries around the world undertake a transition away from fossil fuels in an effort to reduce global warming.

Snikkars also said he has not seen a significant impact from Western sanctions on Russian domestic demand for electric power, which is still expected to grow by 1% this year.

Russia, a world-leading producer of fossil fuel, is lagging other countries in its development of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind-powered energy.

Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Alexander Smith

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