The Development of Infrastructure in the Far North

The Youth Day session of the International Arctic Forum 2019 on infrastructure development was opened by Leonid Irlitsa, Adviser to the Chief Executive Officer of Atomflot. According to the speaker, one of Rosatomflot’s main tasks is providing icebreakers for large national Arctic hydrocarbon projects. Contracts have been signed for four megaprojects, while two more are being negotiated. The speaker believes that participation in such unique projects will keep the nuclear icebreaking fleet busy for several decades. For instance, Atomflot’s contract with Yamal LNG lasts until 2040. Probable field reserves are 926 billion cubic metres of natural gas. Yamal LNG’s liquefied natural gas is exported by a fleet of 15 gas carriers led by nuclear-powered icebreakers. Shipping is currently provided by four nuclear-powered vessels: Yamal, 50 Let Pobedy, Taimyr and Vaigach. According to experts, cargo traffic through the Northern Sea Route can grow to 65 million tons by 2025, and all those cargoes need a pathway through the ice. In this regard, Russia’s Transport Strategy until 2030 projects the construction of three 60 megawatt nuclear icebreakers of the new LK-60Ya type, which will ensure year-round navigation. As Leonid Irlitsa noted, “these projects cannot be implemented without active participation of young people. We need competent specialists, purposeful young people who are ready to come to the North and work on the Northern Sea Route.” 

The subject of training for work in the Arctic zone was continued by Yuriy Zhuravel, Vice-Rector for International Activities of the Maritime State University. Speaking about the areas of the university’s educational and scientific activity, he said: “It depends on the people how quickly the Arctic will develop. We are already training specialists who will work with breakthrough technologies and provide highly qualified personnel for the Arctic fleet.”

Vladimir Chepetz, Head of the Federal Agency for Railway Transport (Roszheldor), spoke about the unique opportunities of the Northern Latitude Road transport project. It is one of the most important infrastructure projects to develop the natural resource potential of Russia’s Arctic zone. The railroad will significantly reduce the length of transport routes from the fields in the northern regions of Western Siberia to the ports of the Baltic, White, Barents and Kara Seas by up to 1,000 km. In addition, the implementation of the project will help to solve the congestion problem in the existing southern route which merges with the Trans-Siberian Railway.

As for attracting young people to the implementation of this project and their subsequent work on infrastructure facilities, the speaker said that “generally, up to 95% of young people who take area-specific courses of study return to their companies.”