Today, Governor Andrey Chibis held the fourth meeting of the Supervisory Board of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic". In his opening speech, the head of the region recalled that 2.5 years have passed since the creation of the territory of advanced development, and also stressed that despite the sanctions pressure exerted on our country, the special regime not only continues to function, but also actively develops.
"During this time, eight residents have planned to invest more than 162 billion rubles. It is extremely important that today, despite sanctions, restrictions on the supply of equipment and all related difficulties, our companies are ahead of schedule of investments. So, 36 billion more has been invested in the TOP, even in comparison with the plan that was determined before the sanctions were imposed. Now the amount of investments is almost 130 billion rubles. Also, thanks to the TOR, 2.6 thousand jobs have been created," the governor said.
Andrey Chibis spoke about residents who are already implementing large-scale projects in the region.
The first is the anchor resident – NOVATEK-Murmansk. In 2022, he fully fulfilled the terms of the agreement on the implementation of activities in the territory of advanced socio-economic development. Thus, the project "Center for the construction of large-tonnage offshore structures" was implemented. In fact, thanks to this, the world's first plant for the serial production of natural gas liquefaction lines on gravity-type bases was built, and the workshop for the final assembly of production modules was recognized as the largest in Russia.
The governor thanked the entire NOVATEK-Murmansk team, because even after the imposed economic restrictions, the company did not stop and found the necessary technical solutions. The regional government also provided support for the development of the project. NOVATEK-Murmansk is currently working on the issue of creating additional infrastructure.
"It is very good that we have a new resident. In March 2022, it became the Lavna Port company, implementing a project for the construction of a coal transshipment complex. Today it is being built according to the plan. We are also working on the issue of obtaining investments from the federal budget for the infrastructure development of the Western Shore of the Kola Bay, where the main territory of the TOP is concentrated. It is planned to build power supply facilities there. I thank my colleagues for their help and support," the governor said.
Alexander Shutov, Director of KRDV Murmansk, made a report on the current state of the TOP.
"The implementation of more than 100 projects is planned at the end of 2024. The actual indicators exceed the planned ones. In the third quarter, over-fulfillment of investments and jobs was noted. Thanks to the joint work with the government of the region and the Ministry of Regional Development, budget investments will appear next year, which will be aimed at creating the infrastructure of the TOP," Alexander Shutov said.
He noted that the dynamics of the development of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic" is positive. So, since its creation, three more residents have been added, the number of jobs has increased by more than 3 thousand, and the volume of investments by 70 billion rubles.
The representative of the company "Financial and Organizational Consulting" Moses Furschik reported on the stages of developing a plan for the long-term development of the territory.
"Now we are at the installation stage. We have carefully studied the socio-economic situation of the Murmansk region from the point of view of the prospects for the development of the TOP. The region has a unique location that provides a good logistical focus. Tourism is also developing successfully here. The urban population with the necessary qualifications prevails. Another important factor is the quality of people's lives. Also, in terms of per capita monetary income, the region ranks 3rd in the NWFD," said Moses Furschik.
In addition, the speaker emphasized the diversification of the economy, which makes it possible to use a variety of industries during the development of the TOP.
"The Murmansk region demonstrates steady economic growth, despite the sanctions pressure on the country. The situation is also positive in the field of infrastructure. We also drew attention to two aspects that are atypical for the previously created TOP: 77% of land plots are already occupied by residents, that is, the filling is quite dense. The volume of actual investments is impressive – 130 billion. One of the limiting factors of development is the lack of gasification," said Moses Furschik.
In conclusion, Governor Andrey Chibis stressed that despite the restructuring of global supply chains, changes in the geopolitical situation, restrictions, the TOP continues to work, overcomes all difficulties and moves forward. The head of the region expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Development of the Far East and the Arctic, the team of the regional government, development corporations and residents.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /