As part of a working dinner with diplomats from Latin America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, the head of the region Andrey Chibis presented the investment potential of the Murmansk region. The event was also attended by Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Nikolai Korchunov, representatives of large companies operating in the Russian Arctic.
"On behalf of the Murmansk Region and the regional government, I welcome you to the Kola Arctic. I think that as a result of your trip we will find new points of mutual growth and niches for cooperation. For our part, we will provide the necessary support to business projects that will be useful for the development of the Murmansk Region," Andrey Chibis greeted the guests.
Among the advantages of the region, the governor highlighted direct access to the World Ocean and to the Northern Sea Route without passing international straits, proximity to St. Petersburg and Moscow, a deep-water ice-free port, a developed system of roads and railways.
"The port of Murmansk is the base for the Northern Sea Route, the volume of transshipment by the end of last year exceeded 56 million tons. Despite all the restrictions and sanctions pressure, it is one of the five largest ports in Russia in terms of transshipment volume. In addition, to develop our logistics potential, with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Federal government, we are implementing the project "Integrated Development of the Murmansk Transport Hub". By 2030, it is expected to increase the volume of cargo handling to 80 million tons. MTU, the new port "Lavna" is in the active stage of construction, the readiness of key facilities is more than 80%, the launch of the working movement is scheduled for the end of this year," Andrei Chibis said.
Andrey Chibis stressed that strategic projects are actively developing in the region: the construction of a terminal for the transshipment of mineral fertilizers "Tuloma", the creation of a container terminal and many others. Another important component of the economy of the Murmansk region is the resource base. The Governor also noted that large reserves of rare earth reserves are concentrated in the Kola Arctic. Thus, 50% of Russia's lithium reserves are located in the region. This year, the development of two lithium deposits began. The Governor stressed that the companies of the Murmansk region continue to invest in the development of deposits.
"Another important project is the gasification of the region, work is underway on the design of the gas pipeline. Within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a corresponding agreement was signed with the head of Gazprom. Gasification will allow the production of liquefied natural gas to be placed on our territory. Such projects have already been publicly announced by NOVATEK," the governor said.
Another important area in the economy of the Murmansk region is the fishing industry.
"We have 150 companies, 7.5 thousand employees, and aquaculture is actively developing. Our companies are investing in capacity development. The Udarnik terminal is in the active stage of implementation with a full service for the maintenance of fishing vessels and the delivery of fish products," the head of the region noted.
Andrey Chibis highlighted another important factor of development – electricity.
"We have the necessary reserve capacity to accommodate new production facilities, 60% of electricity is generated by the Kola NPP, it is planned that by 2035 a completely new station will be created to replace the existing one. Also at the beginning of the year, we introduced a unique project – a wind farm that generates electricity and transits it to the unified energy system of our country," Andrei Chibis said.
The Governor stressed that the Murmansk Region is the leader in the number of residents in the Arctic zone.
One of the most important projects that is being implemented in the region is the Center for the Construction of large–capacity offshore structures of NOVATEK, which is the anchor resident of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic".
Andrey Chibis singled out education and training for the Arctic separately.
"Another point of growth is the development of tourism. You can relax here all year round. Each season is attractive for different categories of tourists, the flow is stable. Last year we were visited by 540 thousand guests. These are only those who stayed at the hotel for more than three days, in fact, of course, there are more of them. Tourism is a strong segment for the development of our economy, we are investing in infrastructure, new projects and routes are emerging. The portrait of our tourist is a young, active person who is interested in the unique northern nature with character," concluded the head of the region.
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Peru to the Russian Federation, Juan Genaro Del Campo Rodriguez, noted that the Murmansk Region has a large-scale potential and developed infrastructure. He expressed confidence that investors from all over the world will be interested in our strategic region.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Colombia Hector Isidro Arenas Neira noted that it is a great honor to participate in such an educational trip to the most important region of the Arctic zone. He stressed that Russia actively participates in the Arctic Council and highlighted the importance of the Arctic for the development of the whole world.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Mexican States Eduardo Villegas Mejias expressed confidence in establishing ties for cooperation with the Murmansk region.
As part of the working trip, the ambassadors will visit the production sites of Russian enterprises, get acquainted with the main sights of the city of Murmansk, visit the villages of Rybachy and Murmashi. The event will be held within the framework of the plan of Russia's chairmanship in the Arctic Council. The operator of the chairmanship events is the Roscongress Foundation.
The business program includes visits of diplomats to the Center for the Construction of Large-Tonnage Offshore Structures (CSCMS), the headquarters of naval operations of FSUE Atomflot and a branch of MMC Norilsk Nickel.
Russia was the presiding party in the Arctic Council in the period from 2021 to 2023. The powers of the Chairman were transferred to Norway during the 13th session of this international organization, which took place on May 11 in Salekhard. In total, about 90 different events took place within the framework of the chairmanship: forums, conferences, round tables, championships, festivals and sports competitions. The events took place in all nine regions of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The events were divided into 11 thematic blocks covering all promising areas of development of the territories of northern latitudes. From the very beginning, the plan for the chairmanship of the Arctic Council was calculated until August 2023, therefore, the Russian side will hold a number of other events designed to promote socio-economic development, preserve the ecology of the northern latitudes and scientific study of the Arctic.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /