The XV anniversary International Mining Conference "Barents‑The Arctic Economic Partnership: a Look into the Future."
Oleg Kozhemyako, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District, sent greetings to the participants.
"The development of the mineral resource potential of the Russian Arctic and the Far East is one of the most important areas for strengthening the economic security and technological sovereignty of our country. Solving the challenges facing the industry requires an integrated approach to energy supply, extraction and deep processing of raw materials, the development of transport and logistics infrastructure, the introduction of domestic technologies and modern digital solutions. I highly appreciate the long-term work of the Supreme Mining Council of Russia, which for more than a quarter of a century has been contributing to improving the efficiency of the mineral resource complex, forming coordinated sectoral initiatives and promoting practical solutions, including those aimed at developing the regions of the Far East. I would like to express my gratitude to the PhosAgro Group, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Over the years, the company has made a significant contribution to the development of the domestic industry, strengthening the production and scientific and technological potential of Russia. I am confident that a professional exchange of views, discussion of best practices and the development of concrete proposals at the conference will contribute to the further development of the mining industry, the expansion of interregional cooperation and the implementation of strategic objectives of the state," the message says.
The conference is attended by Governor Andrey Chibis, Chairman of the Supreme Mining Council of the Russian Federation Yuri Shafranik, leading experts, representatives of the scientific community and industrial enterprises. The main theme of this year's conference is "Developing the potential of the Arctic's mineral resources based on a closed—loop economy: best practices."
Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. He stressed that there is a dynamic growth of investments in the region.
"In seven years, from 2019 to 2025, about 1.8 trillion rubles have been invested in the economy of the Murmansk region. This year, the pace continues: in the first half of the year, investments amounted to more than 143 billion rubles, which is 14% higher than last year. The industrial production index for January-September reached 103.8%, compared with the Russian average of 100.2%. This is certainly a serious effort by all employees and management teams of companies that operate in the region. It is very important that new industrial projects are emerging. At SPIEF, we signed an agreement with Uralchem, which will begin developing the Tulomskoye field, where apatite concentrate will be extracted, a fertilizer that, in fact, feeds the whole country, ensures our food security and provides serious exports. There is not a single mining company in the region that has not implemented major investment projects and has not made serious efforts to train personnel. It's worth a lot in our difficult times, and I want to thank everyone for that," the governor said.
He recalled that the region, together with the federal government and with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is implementing the Professionalism project: in terms of the quality of its implementation, the Murmansk Region is among the top five in the country, and our colleges are among the top ten in terms of employment and graduate salaries.
"Today, close attention is focused on the Arctic. It is no coincidence that the President noted that the Murmansk Region sets an example of progressive, dynamic development for all Arctic regions of the Russian Federation. Thanks to the support of the President and his decision, a special commission of the State Council on the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route was created, which I head. As part of the commission's work, we are preparing a comprehensive project for the development of the Arctic and the Transarctic transport corridor. This, of course, will give a new impetus to the development of all Arctic regions, including the Murmansk Region. With the support of the President, we will form a clear understanding of how to develop the Arctic in a cluster format, with full–fledged chains from production to product and logistics. One of the most important mainline projects that we are working on together with our partners from Gazprom is the gasification of the Murmansk Region. The implementation of the project will radically change the industry of the Kola Arctic. A large-scale project for the construction of the KAES-2 is also being implemented jointly with Rosatom. We are moving forward despite the challenges and limitations," Andrey Chibis emphasized.
Chairman of the Supreme Mining Council of the Russian Federation Yuri Shafranik joined in thanking the President and Government of Russia, all participants of the conference, and noted the importance of annual meetings of government officials and the professional community.
The key event of the conference was an open field meeting of the Supreme Mining Council of the Russian Federation and the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation on Energy Strategy and Fuel and Energy Complex Development "On priorities for the development of mineral resources of Arctic projects: energy capacity, mining, processing, logistics, sales." This is the first meeting of the Supreme Mining Council of Russia, which was held in the Murmansk region. The choice of the region as a site highlights its role as one of the key centers of the country's mining industry.
The focus is on the practice of supporting the development of mineral resources of Arctic projects in terms of energy supply, extraction, processing, logistics and sales, as well as strengthening technological sovereignty and expanding industrial cooperation.
The business program of the two‑day forum includes plenary and breakout sessions, discussion and B2B platforms, an exhibition and the signing of cooperation agreements. Thus, an agreement was signed between the government of the Murmansk region and the Supreme Mining Council of the Association "Non-profit Partnership "Mining Industrialists of Russia". In addition, an agreement on scientific and technical cooperation between JSC Apatit (PhosAgro Group) was signed on the sidelines of the conference and the Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The document, which is valid for 5 years, provides for further assistance to Apatit JSC in strengthening the material base and human resources of the Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as carrying out research by KSC specialists, the results of which will be in demand at the mining and processing and agrochemical complexes of the company.
"The Kola Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a long–standing and reliable partner of PhosAgro Group. KSC specialists laid the foundation for the company's development strategy 25 years ago. The new agreement gives us confidence that Arctic fundamental science will continue to be a reliable ally of miners and chemists in the fight for new production records," said Denis Novikov, CEO of Apatit JSC. — The dialogue that took place during the conference confirms that the mining industry continues to be the flagship of the domestic economy, forming a solid foundation for the development of its other industries, from chemistry to agriculture. We have everything for this: unique research, advanced technologies, a base for training highly qualified personnel, reliable industrial and scientific partners, and many years of experience in implementing the most complex and breakthrough projects."
The thematic sections were organized on the basis of the leading scientific and production centers of the region — the Federal Research Center of the KSC RAS, the branch of the Murmansk Arctic University in Apatity, the site of JSC Northwestern Phosphorus Company and the Kola NPP.
The choice of the Murmansk Region as a site underlines its role as one of the key centers of the mining and processing industry in Russia, where strategically important enterprises are concentrated, including members of the Association "Mining Industrialists of Russia" — JSC Apatit and JSC NWFC, as well as the Kola NPP. Over the past 14 years, the conference has established itself as an effective platform for sharing experiences, finding solutions to industry challenges, and forming new partnerships.
Traditionally, the organizers are the Government of the Murmansk Region, NP "Miners of Russia", the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and the Federal Research Center Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The operator of the conference is the Union "Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Murmansk Region" / Severnaya.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /