The Ministry of Natural Resources reported on the calculations for loading the Northern Sea Route

MOSCOW, September 5 – PRIME. The first results of the forecast for the extraction of raw materials, which will ensure the load of the Northern Sea Route (NSR), will be received by the end of November, Alexander Kozlov, head of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

“We are developing a production forecast primarily for those types of raw materials that will ensure the loading of the Northern Sea Route. These include hydrocarbons, iron, coal and copper ores. The forecast is based on planned production data contained in specific projects. Let me remind you that these projects are periodically heard in Media, at meetings, this is Vostok Oil, Gazprom Neft, Norilsk Nickel, Severnaya Zvezda, Baimskaya. The first results will be received by the end of November,” Kozlov said.

According to the minister, 76% of all natural gas reserves in Russia are located in the Arctic, 28% of all Russian oil reserves, 9 billion tons of coal, 26 copper deposits are concentrated in the region. “Plans have been drawn up for licensing and putting deposits into development. This year, the largest domestic lithium deposits Kolmozerskoye and Polmostundrovskoye in the Murmansk region are being prepared for licensing,” he said. The head of the ministry stressed that budget revenues would also be determined based on the production forecast.

With over 3,000 nautical miles (5,556 kilometers) in length, the Northern Sea Route – connecting the Barents Sea and the Bering Strait – is the shortest route between Europe and Asia, as well as the shortest sea route between the Far East and the European part of Russia. The route for transporting goods from the Far East to Europe using the Northern Sea Route is 14,000 kilometers.

Russia is implementing the federal project “Development of the Northern Sea Route”, which involves the creation of an infrastructure that will increase cargo traffic to 80 million tons in 2024 and 110 million tons by 2030, as well as an increase in the total capacity of seaports to 110 and 115 million tons, respectively. And according to the approved plan for the development of the Northern Sea Route until 2035, the annual cargo flow along it by 2035 should be 220 million tons.

The Government of the Russian Federation instructed the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use to prepare a forecast for the extraction of minerals and carry out geological exploration work (GE) in the Arctic zone to form the cargo base of the Northern Sea Route.