At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, and Vyacheslav Torsunov, CEO of the energy company, discussed improving the reliability of the region's electricity supply and signed an agreement on cooperation. The total investment is 15 billion rubles.
ROSSETI North-West plans to modernize one of Murmansk's key 150 kV substations, the Valley of Comfort. The company will increase the capacity of the power supply center by 1.7 times. This will increase the reliability of power supply to Pervomaisky, Oktyabrsky districts of Murmansk and the city of Kola, and will also allow connecting new consumers to the power grid.
In addition, ROSSETI North-West has developed a program of additional measures to improve the reliability of electricity supply in the Murmansk Region for 2026-2031.
In particular, the company is reconstructing 3 150 kV power transmission lines that provide power to Murmansk and Severomorsk. As early as 2026, ice melting systems will be installed on these power lines. It is also planned to purchase highly advanced special equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles.
"Ensuring reliable electricity supply in the Arctic is a task that we are solving in close cooperation with energy companies. Together with ROSSETI North-West, we are building a clear, step-by-step action program that takes into account both the harsh climate of the Arctic and the strategic development plans of the region. The modernization of key power centers, the introduction of modern technologies to protect networks from ice, the formation of an emergency reserve — all these measures are aimed at the main result: improving the quality of life of people in the region," said Andrey Chibis.
"The Murmansk Region is a strategically important territory. This winter, we faced an extraordinary situation: ice and wind loads exceeded the values set during the construction of power transmission lines several times. This is a vivid example of how climate change and the growth of natural hazards directly affect the work of the energy infrastructure. Therefore, we focus not on point-to-point solutions, but on a systematic approach. The program of additional measures developed for 2026-2031 is aimed at a comprehensive solution to these problems. Only this approach will dramatically improve the reliability of electricity supply in the new climatic conditions," Vyacheslav Torsunov said.
Also in 2026, ROSSETI North-West will allocate 3 billion rubles to the Murmansk Region for an investment program and 813 million rubles for a repair program. The power engineers will repair 160 kilometers of power transmission lines, 124 35-150 kV substations and 34 transformer substations.
It should be recalled that the government of the Murmansk Region is also working at the federal level: funds from the Treasury infrastructure loan have been raised to modernize the main power supply line of the city of Murmansk, which will increase its reliability.
During a meeting with the Government of the Russian Federation, the Governor of the Murmansk Region addressed President Vladimir Putin with a proposal to include the Murmansk Region in the federal program to improve the reliability of the electric grid infrastructure. The initiative was included in the list of instructions from the President to the Government of the Russian Federation.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /