Russian Senator Elena Diaghileva held a meeting on the implementation of a long-term plan for the integrated socio-economic development of the Kirov-Apatity agglomeration in the Polar Dawns and the territory under the jurisdiction of the municipality. The event took place in the city of nuclear scientists.
In her welcoming speech, the representative of the Murmansk Region in the Chamber of Regions recalled that the initiative to develop Polar Dawns with the direct participation of Rosatom State Corporation was supported by Federation Council Chairman Valentina Matvienko at the 590th plenary session with the participation of Alexey Likhachev, Director General of the state Corporation.
"Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has identified the development of the Arctic and the Far East as a national priority for the entire 21st century. The formation of a list of anchor settlements is one of the key decisions designed to improve the quality of life and contribute to the development of a strategically important macroregion. Such a significant topic is at the center of the Federation Council's attention," Elena Diaghileva emphasized.
The parliamentarian outlined the key task of the meeting – to discuss in detail the activities of the master plan, problematic aspects, immediate plans and strategic solutions. The agenda also included a discussion of the plans of the city–forming enterprise to ensure economic and spatial development, synchronized with the presidential national projects and the regional national program "Live in the North!".
"In the 70s of the last century, the launch of the first power unit of the Kola NPP in the Arctic Circle gave rise to many large-scale initiatives in the Murmansk region. The events that we are discussing today, especially the construction of two power units of the Kola NPP-2, will become a new stage in the joint qualitative transformation of the Kola Arctic," said the senator.
The meeting was attended by Olga Vovk, Deputy Governor of the Murmansk Region, Vasily Omelchuk, Deputy General Director and Director of the Kola Nuclear Power Plant branch of Rosenergoatom Concern JSC, Maxim Chengaev, head of the city of Polyarnye Zori, representatives of the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Development of the Far East and the Arctic of the Russian Federation, regional and municipal authorities and Rosenergoatom.
"The purpose of the master plan of the Kirovsko-Apatitskaya agglomeration, which is home to about 80,000 people, is to ensure the synergy of production, science and quality of life. The agglomeration is a mineral resource center providing more than 80% of phosphate production in Russia and a base for the development of lithium deposits and rare earth metals. The key projects for the agglomeration were the development of a new deposit, the formation of a Federal Winter Sports Center, the development of a ski resort, the creation of a scientific and technological cluster based on the KSC RAS, as well as the construction of KAES-2. It is expected that by 2035 the accumulated volume of investments in the agglomeration will amount to 253.5 billion rubles. We are grateful to Rosatom, which took the initiative to develop a master plan for Polar Dawns. Events of the national program "Live in the North!" are also being implemented on the territory. As part of the agreement between the State Corporation and the government of the Murmansk Region, a set of measures is also being implemented with an approximate amount of 200 million rubles of funding from both sides," said Olga Vovk, Deputy Governor of the Murmansk Region.
Recall that the inclusion of Polar Dawns in the list of stronghold settlements of the Russian Arctic was approved by the President of the Russian Federation during a working meeting with the governor of the Murmansk Region, and in 2024 representatives of the Urbanika Institute of Territorial Planning, together with the regional government and the Rosatom state Corporation, developed a master plan for the development of the urban area.
"For the first time, we have gathered all interested parties to comprehensively review the measures included in three key documents: the master plan for the development of the municipality, the agreement between Rosatom and the government of the Murmansk region, as well as the comprehensive program for the development of the Kirovsko-Apatitskaya agglomeration, approved by order of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. Therefore, a working mechanism of interaction has been formed that guarantees the achievement of the set goals," commented Vasily Omelchuk, Director of the Kola NPP.
The plans for 2026-2030 announced at the meeting include major repairs of educational institutions with the construction of playgrounds in two schools, the opening of new career guidance classes, the reconstruction of the Gymnasium No. 1 interscholastic stadium, the construction of a registry office, landscaping of courtyards and public spaces, the development of a ski complex on the southwestern slope of GLK Salma, and others..
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Master plans for 15 Arctic strongholds have been developed on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. The corresponding initiative was previously made by the Governor of the Murmansk Region, Andrey Chibis. In our region, they include three agglomerations: Murmansk (Murmansk, Severomorsk, Kola district), Kirovsko-Apatitskaya (Kirovsk, Apatity, Polar Dawns), and Monchegorskaya. On October 27 of this year, the Russian Government approved long-term plans for the integrated socio-economic development of the main settlements of the Russian Arctic, formed on the basis of master plans.
By 2035, the plans provide for the renovation of the housing stock, the development of infrastructure for housing and communal services, transport, medicine, education, sports and culture. 211 measures are planned to be implemented in the core agglomerations of the Murmansk Region. The main source of funding in the federal budget will be funds from sectoral state programs in accordance with the President's instructions to allocate 5% to the implementation of long-term plans for the Arctic and the Far East. For the 2026-2028 budget cycle, federal agencies have provided 67 billion rubles in their programs.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /