Today, as part of a working trip to the Murmansk Region, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation – Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev held a meeting with investors in Kirovsk. The event was attended by Alexey Chekunkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, and representatives of companies and enterprises.
"The main source of development in any region is the investments that have come, the enterprises that have been built, and the jobs created. Murmansk Region is the leader of the Arctic zone in terms of attracting investments. This is the result of the joint work of the Russian Government, the leadership of the Murmansk Region and all local authorities. An investor comes only to a place where the regime is friendly towards him," Yuri Trutnev opened the meeting.
The progress in the implementation of investment projects significant for the region, including projects of residents of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic" and the Russian Arctic. Thus, the Lavna seaport is one of the largest construction projects in the North–West of Russia. The State Transport Leasing Company (STLC) is building a coal terminal as part of the project. The territory of the port is 120 hectares, it is located on the shore of the Kola Bay of the Murmansk region, ice–free and deep-water. Already at the shore, the depths here reach 15 meters, which will allow the port to receive large-tonnage vessels. Another key advantage of the port is direct access to neutral waters. This compares favorably with the ports of the Baltic and the Azov-Black Sea basin, which depend on the possibility of using the Danish Straits and the Bosphorus. Thus, Lavna opens a direct path for the export of Russian coal, independent of the unfriendly actions of former partners. From 2024, coal transshipment will grow rhythmically to the planned volume of 18 million tons. It is planned to develop a master plan for the second stage of the development of the Lavna port, taking into account the high demand for coal products, as well as mineral fertilizers and general cargo. The total volume of transshipment can be increased to 32 million tons of cargo per year. The Lavna port is a resident of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic", the project creates new jobs in the Murmansk region.
Valla-Tunturi is a comprehensive tourism project that is being implemented on the territory of the Kola Peninsula by Vasta Discovery, the investor of the project is PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel. The project includes various accommodation facilities – hotels and park hotels, as well as infrastructure for natural, military-historical and sports tourism. The necessary land plots have already been leased, and design and survey work is underway. The start of operation of the tourist project facilities is scheduled for 2032, but the information center and the first stage of the Kitovy Bereg Park Hotel have already been commissioned, and the construction of the second stage is being completed.
The development of the Bolshoy Woodyavr ski resort in Kirovsk was discussed. In particular, it was proposed to develop a comprehensive program for the development of the mountain tourism cluster "Khibiny".
The Western Transport and Logistics Hub Company (ZTLU LLC) intends to build a marine container terminal included in the development plan of the Northern Sea Route for the period up to 2035. The new generation terminal will be equipped with modern high-performance equipment and will consist of two deep-water berths. The investor has already started design and survey work, according to the results of which the final volume of investments will be approved. The facility, which will be located on a plot of land located near the village of Belokamenka in the Kola district of the Murmansk region, is scheduled to be commissioned in 2028.
Projects of potential residents of the TOP "Capital of the Arctic" were presented.
The Polar Lithium company intends to implement a project for the development of the Kolmozersk lithium deposit, the largest lithium deposit in Russia, located in the Lovozersk district of the Murmansk region. The reserves of lithium ores at the deposit amount to 75 million tons, or 18.9% of Russian reserves of this metal. The field development project involves the production of lithium carbonate and hydroxide in the amount of 45 thousand tons per year. To achieve this, it is planned to ensure the volume of ore production in the amount of 2 million tons per year, that is, the reserves of the deposit assume up to 40 years of production. At the moment, shareholders are considering the option of building a mining and processing complex (GOK) in two stages. The first stage will be designed for 400 thousand tons of ore per year, with the commissioning of the second stage, scheduled for 2030, production will increase to 2 million tons of ore per year. A feasibility study has already been developed for external power supply and transport accessibility, a feasibility study for the GOK situational plan has been developed, and preparations are underway to undergo an environmental assessment.
GTLK, together with the Murmansk Sea Fishing Port, plans to create a modern cluster-type ship repair complex in the Murmansk region. The aim of the project is to provide competitive and timely ship repair of a full cycle for shipowners of the civil fleet of the region, including those who previously went abroad. The cluster format of the project will ensure cooperation with enterprises and scientific complexes, the development of component production, the creation of new jobs and the development of modern technologies. The implementation of the project will create an additional 200 jobs in the region.
The Eurasian Fish Center company presented a project to create a modern logistics complex based on the southern district of the Murmansk Sea Fishing Port.
"From the point of view of our support measures, firstly, the benefits that we have provided for small and medium-sized businesses are one of the most preferential regimes in the country, therefore, the number of SMEs and the tax return has become greater than at the moment when we provided these benefits. And special grants for socially significant and new projects, and the construction of infrastructure so that the quality of the environment changes. It is fundamentally important to cooperate and solve those problems that depend on us as authorities," said Andrey Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region.
"We are now in a place that illustrates the explosive growth of domestic tourism. The growth is almost 5 times. The task of developing domestic tourism was set by the head of state. First of all, we will provide for the development of transport infrastructure when there is a high-quality airport, a high-quality runway, and a high-quality road. Our task is to create the appropriate infrastructure. We will put these decisions into the program for the development of support cities," said Alexey Chekunkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.
Following a working trip to the Republics of Komi and Karelia, Murmansk Region, Yuri Trutnev instructed the Ministry of Regional Development of Russia to submit proposals on providing additional support measures to investors implementing projects in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation.
Recall that the TOP "Capital of the Arctic" was established on the territory of the Murmansk region on May 12, 2020 by decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 656. Over the three years of operation, the volume of investments has already exceeded 175 billion rubles, while the total investment portfolio of projects of residents of the TOP is more than 268 billion rubles. 2,259 people have been employed at resident enterprises, a total of 4,694 new jobs are planned to be created.
Governor Andrey Chibis thanked Yuri Trutnev and colleagues from the federal Government for supporting the economic development of the region.
"Tax regimes – both the TOP "Capital of the Arctic" and the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, decisions on specific infrastructure support allowed us to achieve results. If we take only the Russian Arctic, then in terms of the number of residents, jobs created, and investments actually invested, we are leaders today. And we will increase this. I want to say thank you again. We have been talking in detail about major projects that are of global importance for the development of our economy and the entire Arctic zone, and the set of instructions given by Yuri Petrovich will allow us to additionally remove some of the issues so that these projects can be implemented," Governor Andrei Chibis said in conclusion.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /