Three years ago, the preferential treatment of priority development territories was extended to the Russian Arctic specifically for investors of the Murmansk Region and the first TOP in the Arctic was created – the "Capital of the Arctic". Attractive working conditions for businesses, new enterprises, an influx of investments and jobs for local residents and specialists from other regions who have chosen the northern territories for self–realization - this result was obtained by a region that plays an important role in ensuring Russia's strategic, transport and economic security.
The TOP "Capital of the Arctic" occupies part of the territory of the Murmansk region, it has a special legal regime for entrepreneurs. Companies with the status of residents of the TOP can implement investment projects in the mining industry, logistics and industrial construction, tourism, fish processing, port activities, receiving tax benefits and administrative preferences.
"Our territory of advanced development "The Capital of the Arctic" is one of the youngest in the country. Nevertheless, over 3 years of operation, the volume of investments has already exceeded 150 billion rubles, while the total investment portfolio of projects of residents of the TOP is about 165 billion rubles. Over 2.6 thousand people have been employed at resident enterprises, and a total of 4.6 thousand new jobs are planned to be created. I would like to note that our investors, first of all, provide new logistics solutions for the country – these are strategically important facilities. Thanks to the support of the Russian Government, we will continue to increase the effectiveness of the TOP tool so that there will be even more implemented investment projects in the Murmansk Region," said Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region.
Starting from 2020, the management company established by the Government of the Murmansk Region together with the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, KRDV Murmansk, is engaged in the support of existing residents and potential investors of the TOP.
"Preferences are used by large and small businesses. Today, 8 residents have been registered on the TOP "Capital of the Arctic", who have already invested 153 billion rubles in the region's economy and employed about 2.7 thousand people. We provide a range of services and support services for each investor and create conditions for attracting businesses that are interested in creating new flagship projects. In 2023, we plan to increase the number of residents. So, among the potential investors are Rusatom Cargo and Kola MMC, which are planning to implement projects in the field of mining and logistics. Residents contribute to the development of the production potential of the Murmansk region and strengthen the export positions of our country. The number of new jobs in the field of engineering and manufacturing is growing in the region, and investors, in turn, receive tax benefits, including income and insurance premiums," said Alexander Shutov, Director of the Murmansk KRDV.
In addition to tax benefits and administrative preferences, in 2022, the Ministry of Eastern Development of Russia decided to build an energy infrastructure at the TOP "Capital of the Arctic". This solution will provide at least three large projects with the required capacity of 49 MW and will attract more than 73 billion rubles of private investment.
All the announced investment projects are in the active stage of implementation.
The anchor resident, NOVATEK–Murmansk LLC, has created a Center for the Construction of Large-tonnage Offshore Structures (CSCMS). It has been awarded the status of a strategic investment project, as well as a large-scale investment project of the Murmansk region.
"Thanks to the status of a resident of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic", we were able to implement the project of the Center for the construction of large-tonnage offshore structures at an accelerated pace and ensure the inflow of social investments into the region. TSSKMS is the first and unparalleled plant in the world for the serial production of natural gas liquefaction lines on gravity–type bases. In 2022, we launched a workshop for the final assembly of production modules. And in the summer we plan to send the first production line by sea to the Gydan peninsula, where the Utrennoye deposit is located – the main resource base of Arctic LNG 2. Hundreds of Russian enterprises are involved in the production of technological lines, more than 80,000 jobs have been created in Russia, including more than 17,000 jobs in the field of engineering development and production in the Murmansk region. Some of the high–tech products of Russian manufacturers were created specifically for the project and have no analogues in Russia," said Peter Oborin, Director of NOVATEK-Murmansk LLC.
The facilities of the port and railway infrastructure on the western shore of the Kola Bay are being built by the company "Lavna Commercial Sea Port" with the use of state support measures. The project is among the priority areas of the Comprehensive Plan for the Modernization and Expansion of the Backbone Infrastructure until 2024. The volume of private investments in the implementation of a landmark project for the Murmansk region will exceed 60 billion rubles. The funds will be used for design and survey work, new construction, reconstruction, purchase of machinery, equipment, tools and inventory.
The construction of the Lavna commercial sea port in the Murmansk Region is in the area of responsibility of the State Transport Leasing Company (STLC), where it is believed that the port can be involved in transportation along the Northern Sea Route, will open new export markets to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
As the construction progresses, the investor will start hiring specialists with the necessary experience and qualifications to manage the equipment. Entering the operational stage of the Lavna commercial sea port is designed to create 545 jobs, which will be provided, first of all, to residents of the Murmansk region.
Another resident, Udarnik Terminal LLC, will launch the first stage of a marine terminal with a full service for servicing fishing vessels and delivering fish products to domestic and foreign markets for fishing companies by the end of 2023. The project of the Arctic Transshipment company (founder – PJSC NOVATEK) is being implemented at an accelerated pace, which received the status of a resident of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic" in early 2023 and is completing the construction of a marine transshipment complex (MPC) of liquefied natural gas in the Murmansk region with the launch of the complex in operation at the end of 2023. MT Tuloma is building a bulk cargo marine terminal in the port of Murmansk.
On the eve of the 3rd anniversary of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic", the construction sites of residents were visited by students of Murmansk educational institutions: 36 schools, 9 gymnasiums, students of the construction college of the estate of N.E. Momota, as well as activists of the Russian movement of schoolchildren and youth "Movement of the First". A career guidance tour for schoolchildren and students was held within the framework of the project "Conversations about important things". The tour helped the children to get acquainted with popular professions.
"This is exactly the effect we wanted to achieve – to really impress the guys. Having visited the territory of large-scale construction and seeing what is happening with your own eyes, it is impossible to remain indifferent. Today there are a lot of questions about how to get to enterprises for practice, and for us this is the best result from such events," said Artem Kuksa, Acting Director General of the Murmansk Region Development Corporation.
Recall that the TOP "Capital of the Arctic" was created on the territory of the Murmansk region on May 12, 2020 by decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 656.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region according to the Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic /