The development of the Arctic by Russia: history. Strategy of development of the Arctic

Russia has been present in the Arctic region for more than one century. As transport and other infrastructural resources developed, the Arctic was gradually developed. The USSR concentrated its efforts mainly on the implementation of local projects for the development of individual deposits. Now the Russian authorities are actively trying to significantly increase the dynamics of the use of resources in the region.

There are reasons for that. Among those noted by experts are some improvement in climatic conditions (when more territories are available), global processes in the world economy, which require the use of additional transport routes, among which there may be northern highways. Problems of development of the Arctic are quite diverse - this is the ecology, and politics, and socio-economic aspects. But experts believe that the prospects for work in this direction are very significant.

Mastering

The history of the development of the Arctic is especially fascinating. The first information about the region in Russian sources dates back to the 10th century. Especially active was the development of the territories, which are now commonly referred to the Northern Sea Route. In the 16th century Pomors managed to reach the mouth of the Ob River, and then - to the Yenisei, Lena. There is, in the meantime, information that the development of the Arctic by man has actually begun from ancient times, from the Stone Age. In the 16-17 centuries, Russian navigators managed to discover the main part of the Arctic coastline, thus opening the way to the Pacific Ocean.

In the middle of the 18th century, researchers of the Great Northern Expedition led by Vitus Bering worked on the coast of the Arctic . Scientists were able to compile a valuable cartographic and hydrographic material. In the early 19th century, Russian navigators continued to actively explore the Arctic. In some expeditions, foreign researchers also took part. So, for example, in 1873 the archipelago, named Franz Josef Land, was opened by seafarers from Austria-Hungary. In 1878-1879 the Northern Sea Route from the beginning to the end was the researchers from the joint Swedish-Russian sea expedition on the ship Vega. In 1899 the legendary icebreaker Ermak was built, which allowed to establish communication between different regions of the north of Russia. Step by step the development of the Arctic went on in the 20th century. Despite the difficult times after the October Revolution, in the 1920s several structures were created at once, whose task was to further study the region. In 1923-1933 in the areas adjacent to the Arctic Ocean, Russian, and then Soviet researchers built 19 weather stations. Actively mastered the Russian North and in the 30s.

Since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Arctic research has temporarily ceased, but the infrastructure of the region, created in previous years, made a significant contribution to the victory. In the years after the war the Northern Sea Route was once again visited by Soviet researchers. In the regions adjacent to the Arctic, oil, gas, gold, and diamond deposits were exploited. Infrastructure of cities developed, new settlements were built, large industrial objects appeared. The history of the development of the Arctic during the Soviet period was characterized by the implementation of such large-scale and fundamentally significant projects that modern Russia still uses both the infrastructure and the scientific legacy of that time. At the same time, our country faces new challenges in developing the region.

World significance

Not only Russia is interested in the Arctic. The main reason that this part of the world draws the attention of states from virtually all surrounding continents is enormous natural wealth. At least four other countries, except Russia, claim to develop the Arctic - the US, Canada, Norway and Denmark. Each of the countries somehow has a sea outlet in this macroregion.

Resources of the Russian Arctic

Significant spaces of the continental part of the Arctic belong to Russia. There are unique oil and gas fields here, and our country is already beginning to realize the first stages in their development. This can be seen, in particular, on the example of a decent pace of construction of housing in those regions that are adjacent to the Arctic shelf - so that future researchers of the macroregion and labor collectives can settle near promising sites. In Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District alone, hundreds of thousands of square meters of residential areas are being built. The transport infrastructure is also improving .

Upcoming Goals

What are the nearest stages in which the Arctic will be developed by Russia? The greatest activity of researchers and entrepreneurs from our country is expected in the direction of development of the Bovanenkovo oil and gas field located in the Yamal-Nenets region. According to some experts, this will largely predetermine the prospects for economic development in this part of Russia.

It is planned that the federal authorities will spend about 630 billion rubles to develop the Arctic until 2020. About 50 billion is also expected to be drawn from regional budgets. These figures provide for a state program for the development of the Arctic, but their magnitude can be revised. The purpose of the corresponding program is the comprehensive development of the entire Arctic region.

Geographically, the coastal and shelf zones of such subjects as the Murmansk, Arkhangelsk Regions, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Yakutia, the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug are considered to be geographically to the Russian Arctic. The region's resource potential, according to the authorities, is huge. But its practical implementation requires significant efforts related to the solution of environmental issues, foreign policy. The development of transport, energy infrastructure, tourism, promising areas, such as the development of the Arctic shelf, is a very resource-intensive area of activity.

Natural Resources of Yamal

Already, the Yamal Region is one of the key areas for the Russian gas industry. More than 80% of our gas is produced in current fields. The total reserves of blue fuel on the Yamal are trillions of cubic meters. There is also oil here - its reserves are estimated at about 200 million tons. Public and private entities are planning an active development of infrastructure that can provide gas transit from Yamal.

Gas infrastructure

Among the priority directions in the construction of infrastructure in Yamal is the production of liquefied natural gas. First of all, it is a plant near the settlement of Sabetta, which is being built by NOVATEK. Expected capacity of this enterprise is about 15 million tons. Next to the plant, it is planned to build an airport, a large seaport. As expected, the main field, on the basis of which the enterprise will operate, is South Tambey, which is considered to be the largest on Yamal. Its reserves are 1.3 trillion cubic meters of gas. There is evidence that the implementation of this project will be largely focused on foreign markets. The planned commissioning of the plant is 2016.

North latitude railway

The development of the Arctic by Russia, of course, is not limited to activities in the gas industry. Among the noteworthy areas is the construction of a promising sea route - the Northern latitudinal railway. The structure of this seaport is supposed to include such ports as Salekhard, Nadym, Novy Urengoy. The implementation of the program for the construction of this sea route is connected with the need to provide communication between different parts of the Arctic macroregion.

Railway infrastructure

The development of the Arctic is accompanied by the construction of new rail networks in the region. This is especially important, in particular, for the development of oil and gas condensate fields, and also from the point of view of the socio-economic development of the Yamal-Nenets region as a whole. It is planned to build a junction railway station Obskaya-2, laying the roads that connect Salekhard with the sections of the Northern Railway. It is planned to erect a bridge across the Ob. These facilities are expected to be put into operation in 2015.

Oil infrastructure

Transportation of oil from Yamal and other deposits of the macroregion requires the development of an appropriate infrastructure. Among the priority objects are the oil pipeline "Pur-Pe" - "Samotlor". Its uniqueness is in a geographical position. It is the northernmost of the main oil pipelines of the Russian Federation. The purpose of its construction is to increase the volumes of transported oil from the Arctic and Siberia to the European part of the Russian Federation with export prospects.

Electricity infrastructure

The development of the Arctic requires the introduction of electric power infrastructure. Among the key - power plant "Polar". Its construction was completed in 2011. The installed capacity of the station is 268 MW. "Polar" largely contributes to the establishment of an uninterrupted supply of electricity to industries concentrated on the Yamal, as well as residents of the cities of the region, allows replacing obsolete boiler houses that are used in settlements. At the same time, it is expected that the tariffs for electricity and heat will be lower for residents of Yamal.

Gas processing

It is assumed that the extraction and transportation of raw materials on Yamal should be supplemented also by processing industries. In particular, adapted to the use of so-called associated gas. The fact is that this type of raw material can be the basis for the extraction of light hydrocarbons. They, in turn, can use the chemical industry to produce rubber, detergents, etc. Among the key production facilities in the Arctic region are the gas processing complex in Noyabrsk, and a similar enterprise in the city of Gubkinsky.

Wind power

The strategy developed by the Russian authorities and corporations for the development of the Arctic includes also the development of alternative methods of generating electricity. In this direction, we can mention the work on the construction of wind power stations. According to one of the current projects, the region has optimal climatic resources for the successful implementation of projects related to the development of alternative energy sources. At the same time, the wind power stations that are planned to be built do not require the development of any fundamentally new technological solutions - all that is needed already exists on the market. It is possible to implement the relevant achievements - the economic feasibility of their implementation has been proved. The government of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District declared its readiness to be one of the investors of the projects of the corresponding orientation.

Tourism

The development of the Russian Arctic is expected not only in the aspect of industrial development, but also in a slightly different way - by tourists. Now the number of enthusiasts who decided to visit Yamal as part of the hike is not so much. At the same time, the development potential of the relevant industry in the region is considerable. This is expressed in many aspects. Firstly, Yamal has the most beautiful nature. Secondly, the indigenous peoples of Russia live here, whose culture, way of life and hospitality give a special flavor to the region. Thirdly, Yamal - a great place for fans of outdoor activities.

Again, we note that the Government of Yamal announced its interest in developing the tourism industry. The authorities plan to promote the development of the infrastructure necessary for travelers, as well as support for entrepreneurs engaged in attracting tourists to the region. Some experts believe that Yamal, like other regions of the Arctic, is promising from the point of view of development of cruise travel.

Ecological aspect

What are the main problems, without the solution of which the successful development of the Russian Arctic can be difficult? At the beginning of the article, we noted that among the areas that require increased attention - ecology. Among the areas of work that need to be implemented in the near future is cleaning up the Arctic in regions where environmental risks are most visible.

The price factor for oil

According to one version, the world economy enters the phase of the predominance of relatively low oil prices. Can this circumstance become a negative factor in the development aspect of the Arctic? Many experts believe that the cost price of oil and gas production in the region is such that even with the current not-the-highest world prices for black gold, the corresponding type of economic activity will remain profitable.