The Murmansk region is rightfully considered one of the few regions where special attention is paid to young professionals. They have created conditions for them under which they want to come here, stay and work. In addition, the region attracts investments, develops transport infrastructure. FederalPress talked with Governor Andrey Chibis and found out how much the Russian government invests in the development of the Kola Arctic, what specialists the region needs, whether there are difficulties with imports now, and also what resources are extracted on the rich Murmansk land.
Andrey Vladimirovich, the main task of the working group of the State Council on the Arctic is the development of infrastructure around the Northern Sea Route. What exactly is to be done, what has already been done?
We have several key tasks. The first task is the position of the subjects of the initiative for the development of infrastructure and the Northern Sea Route and infrastructure for the implementation of other projects on the territory of the Arctic subjects. The second task is new solutions to improve the quality of people's lives. No matter what infrastructure we create, no matter what projects we launch, it cannot be done without people. Therefore, the fulfillment of the task set by the president that the quality of life of people in the Arctic should not be lower than the average Russian one requires additional budget investments and decisions, including those related to the adjustment of inter-budgetary relations, if we are talking about Arctic subjects. The key task is to look for those mechanisms in cooperation with the government of the Russian Federation that will allow achieving the necessary amount of investment in the development of Arctic subjects to improve the quality of life. This applies to housing, roads and social infrastructure. It is necessary that people who work and do great and important things for the country, the North and the Arctic, feel comfortable here and now.
Are there plans to attract investments for infrastructure? If so, to what extent?
The Russian government is investing in the Murmansk transport hub. This is a railway that will connect the eastern part of the Kola Bay and its western part. This infrastructure will provide an opportunity to increase the volume of cargo transshipment to 80 million tons by 2030, which will allow the construction of new ports. This is an important decision, and 37 billion rubles will be allocated from the federal budget for these purposes. The relevant work will begin in the near future. The second is 4.2 billion rubles for energy infrastructure for residents of the TOP of the Arctic capital. This will not only create new ports, but also increase the number of residents in the West bank. We are taking a comprehensive approach to infrastructure development, and we need it to ensure economic growth, an increase in cargo transshipment, an increase in investment and new jobs. To date, there are 265 projects in the Murmansk Region's portfolio alone with investments of 1.1 trillion rubles and the creation of over 40 thousand jobs for the next 10 years. Taxes during this time will amount to more than 440 billion rubles to budgets of all levels. We remain the leaders in the number of residents of the AZ of the Russian Federation – 180 companies and 8 more residents of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic" have already invested 130 billion rubles, and 2,600 jobs have been created. And despite the fact that residents are exempt from benefits, they already have a tax return in the form of personal income tax, we have already received 1.7 billion in just 11 months of 2022.
Murmansk is one of the leading nodes of the Northern Route. How much does this help the city to develop economically?
We have achieved the comprehensive development of the Murmansk transport hub. Thanks to the implementation of the MTU, 1800 new jobs will be created and the transshipment of the port of Murmansk will increase by 18 million tons per year. And its anchor project, the Lavna port, is already half built (52%).
Are there any difficulties with the import? How is the problem of import substitution solved in the region?
Of course, they did. If we take economics, then this is the maintenance of equipment, as well as spare parts. If we take the lives of our people, then this is the closure of certain stores. Now there is a replacement for the second part, from the point of view of Russian manufacturers. We don't feel any sharpness right now, because people have opened up the market for our small and medium-sized businesses, which can replace clothes and so on. As for industrial companies, we actively help them with parallel imports, they make the necessary decisions, and to date, no production has stopped or been seriously affected. Moreover, according to the results of the data that we have for 9 months, we have an increase in industrial production, even in comparison with last year.
For many years, the Murmansk Region has been cooperating with neighboring countries. How have the relations of the region with these countries changed after the introduction of sanctions and the announcement of its own?
The relationship ended. If we are talking about our neighbors – Finland and Norway, then they have been terminated at this stage on the initiative of their foreign colleagues. In my opinion, this is wrong.
What resource extraction enterprises are planned to be established in the region in the coming years?
The most concrete project in a high degree of readiness is the development of the Kolmozersk deposit, where we are working with the federal government to extract and process lithium. This is the largest deposit in Russia, 18.9% of all lithium reserves in the country are located here. Lithium is fundamentally necessary for the Russian economy. Now the government has prepared a corresponding draft after detailed study. We are expecting the adoption of the necessary regulatory documents for the conduct of appropriate competitive procedures for the development of this field in the near future. This is a very serious point of growth for our region and for the economy of the whole country.
What other resources are mined in the Murmansk region?
We have several projects that are in a serious stage of development and preparation. These are rare earth metals projects, this is an African deposit, this is the Fedorova Tundra project with a large amount of investment, as well as another project that our colleagues are currently working on – this is the Lovozersky GOK project, which has become state property. Colleagues are preparing and working out with the federal government new investments in the preservation and development of the Lovozersky GOK, where metals are also mined, which are strategically important for the economy and the defense industry.
Are there plans to conclude new economic agreements with Russia-friendly countries and domestic companies?
Yes, of course. We have agreed with the President of the Republic of Belarus on the establishment of a terminal for the transshipment of potash fertilizers in the Murmansk region. The terminal's capacity will be 5-7 million tons per year. My colleagues and I are currently working on adjusting the financial model of the new cargo transshipment terminal. We are working with our Asian partners, such as China, India and Bangladesh. Therefore, I think that in the near future we will sign new agreements.
How is the gasification of the region progressing?
The pre-design works of the gas pipeline, which Gazprom is currently engaged in, are underway. This is a project that the president supported, and we are actually moving into the practical plane to specific calculations.
Murmansk is one of the leading nodes of the Northern Route. How much does this help the city to develop economically?
This is the fishing industry. We have the largest company "Norebo", a huge number of scientific vessels, a service base for offshore projects. Therefore, all this makes Murmansk a very promising city and actively develops it.
You said that the development of the Northern Sea Route will allow citizens to live more comfortably, attract specialists. What specialists are required in Murmansk?
We need talented, motivated and energetic specialists. If we take the social sphere, then, as in any other region, these are health, culture and education workers. If we take the economic component, these are specialists in the mining industry, metallurgists, port workers and everything related to boatmasters, as well as specialists in the field of IT and transport logistics, chemists, etc. Our economy is very diversified, that is, we have a number of industries where highly qualified personnel are always in demand.
/FederalPress News Agency/
/Photo Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation/