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Powering new projects. Arktika power plant construction beyond the Arctic Circle makes headway
Powering new projects. Arktika power plant construction beyond the Arctic Circle makes headway
Arctic.ru: Discover how Russia implements its development goals in the Arctic and the Far East
2026-08-05T10:00
2026-08-05T10:00
2026-08-05T10:00
news
murmansk region
infrastructure
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A major project to build the Arktika small hydropower plant in the Murmansk Region is expected to be completed in just two years. It will become the eighth hydropower facility as part of the River Paz’s HPP cascade.Russia’s Energy Ministry offered the Russian Far East and Arctic Development portal an insight into how the new plant will affect the Murmansk Region’s economy, and what would be the advantages of locating Arktika close to the Jäniskosken HPP.Kolskaya NPP has a capacity of 1,760 MW and is currently the main energy producer for the Murmansk Region. There is also the world’s biggest polar wind farm in the region and a developed network of hydropower plants with a total capacity of 1,624 MW.The new project to build the Arktika HPP with a capacity of 16,5 MW is designed to further improve the Murmansk Region’s power generating capabilities. It is expected to be launched on or before July 1, 2028. The last time the Murmansk Region launched a hydropower plant was back in 1987. In fact, it was during the Soviet era that the region’s capabilities in terms of installing effective hydropower generating capacity were largely exhausted with HPP cascades popping up along Niva, Tuloma, Kovda, Voronya, Teriberka and Paz rivers.By the early 1990s, the effort to build major generating capacity lost much of its momentum. With the economy undergoing structural transformation, energy consumption also changed which had a direct bearing on investment in hydropower projects. The energy grid on the Kola Peninsula started producing surplus power with the overall generated capacity exceeding demand.Using wastewater outlets for generating energyBut things have changed when major energy consumers started setting up their facilities in the region. The Energy Ministry noted that the power coming from the new plant will not be allocated to a specific consumer. Instead, it will be used to cover the region’s overall demand.Not only people living in the Murmansk Region and its social infrastructure, but also its businesses are expected to benefit from the new HPP. The ministry believes that Arktika will produce a system-wide effect on regional power supply considering that there is a growing number of projects there in mining, processing and infrastructure development. For example, the plans for developing the Murmansk Region’s energy grid provide for allocating 900 MW for powering an LNG plant.“The project to build the Arktika HPP demonstrates the way in which efforts to expand energy infrastructure create a favorable environment for generating more economic growth in the region. The new plant will provide for more efficiency in using hydropower generating capacity, make power supply more reliable for the Murmansk Region and offer additional opportunities for undertaking new industrial and infrastructure projects,” Deputy Energy Minister Petr Konyushenko said.The new power plant will be located on the Paz River, close to the border with Norway. This location offers several advantages, including the fact that there is already an industrial platform there, roads and utility lines, as well as capacity for feeding 110 kV into the nearby grids.The fact that Arktika will be close to the Jäniskosken HPP is equally important since it will use waste water outlets for generating power. This means that there is no need to build a new reservoir since the new plant can operate as a run-of-river facility.But special requirements have to be taken into consideration when designing a power plant in the Extreme North. Engineers had to factor in the harsh climate, as well as challenging geological and hydrogeological parameters of the polar river.“The station relies on existing infrastructure as well as what used to be discarded as wastewater. This ensures the project’s excellent efficiency and minimizes its environmental impact,” the Deputy Minister pointed out.Project updateThe HPP project has been registered within the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and has undergone a state review to confirm that all its hydropower facilities are reliable and safe, while the new HPP meets industrial, sanitary and environmental safety standards.There will be a 500-meter line linking the plant to the regional energy grid which connects the Kaitakoski, Jäniskoski and Rajakoski plants.The project is currently in the construction stage. Blast hole drilling for excavating the foundations for the HPP’s main buildings and structures has been completed, along with the first stage of the process to dismantle the pillars of the existing hydropower dam for installing a water release structure. The effort to draft and approve project documents has also been completed.
2026
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A major project to build the Arktika small hydropower plant in the Murmansk Region is expected to be completed in just two years. It will become the eighth hydropower facility as part of the River Paz’s HPP cascade.
Russia’s Energy Ministry offered the Russian Far East and Arctic Development portal an insight into how the new plant will affect the Murmansk Region’s economy, and what would be the advantages of locating Arktika close to the Jäniskosken HPP.
Kolskaya NPP has a capacity of 1,760 MW and is currently the main energy producer for the Murmansk Region. There is also the world’s biggest polar wind farm in the region and a developed network of hydropower plants with a total capacity of 1,624 MW.
The new project to build the Arktika HPP with a capacity of 16,5 MW is designed to further improve the Murmansk Region’s power generating capabilities. It is expected to be launched on or before July 1, 2028. The last time the Murmansk Region launched a hydropower plant was back in 1987. In fact, it was during the Soviet era that the region’s capabilities in terms of installing effective hydropower generating capacity were largely exhausted with HPP cascades popping up along Niva, Tuloma, Kovda, Voronya, Teriberka and Paz rivers.
By the early 1990s, the effort to build major generating capacity lost much of its momentum. With the economy undergoing structural transformation, energy consumption also changed which had a direct bearing on investment in hydropower projects. The energy grid on the Kola Peninsula started producing surplus power with the overall generated capacity exceeding demand.
Using wastewater outlets for generating energy
But things have changed when major energy consumers started setting up their facilities in the region. The Energy Ministry noted that the power coming from the new plant will not be allocated to a specific consumer. Instead, it will be used to cover the region’s overall demand.
Not only people living in the Murmansk Region and its social infrastructure, but also its businesses are expected to benefit from the new HPP. The ministry believes that Arktika will produce a system-wide effect on regional power supply considering that there is a growing number of projects there in mining, processing and infrastructure development. For example, the plans for developing the Murmansk Region’s energy grid provide for allocating 900 MW for powering an LNG plant.
“The project to build the Arktika HPP demonstrates the way in which efforts to expand energy infrastructure create a favorable environment for generating more economic growth in the region. The new plant will provide for more efficiency in using hydropower generating capacity, make power supply more reliable for the Murmansk Region and offer additional opportunities for undertaking new industrial and infrastructure projects,” Deputy Energy Minister Petr Konyushenko said.
The new power plant will be located on the Paz River, close to the border with Norway. This location offers several advantages, including the fact that there is already an industrial platform there, roads and utility lines, as well as capacity for feeding 110 kV into the nearby grids.
The fact that Arktika will be close to the Jäniskosken HPP is equally important since it will use waste water outlets for generating power. This means that there is no need to build a new reservoir since the new plant can operate as a run-of-river facility.
But special requirements have to be taken into consideration when designing a power plant in the Extreme North. Engineers had to factor in the harsh climate, as well as challenging geological and hydrogeological parameters of the polar river.
“The station relies on existing infrastructure as well as what used to be discarded as wastewater. This ensures the project’s excellent efficiency and minimizes its environmental impact,” the Deputy Minister pointed out.
Project update
The HPP project has been registered within the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and has undergone a state review to confirm that all its hydropower facilities are reliable and safe, while the new HPP meets industrial, sanitary and environmental safety standards.
There will be a 500-meter line linking the plant to the regional energy grid which connects the Kaitakoski, Jäniskoski and Rajakoski plants.
The project is currently in the construction stage. Blast hole drilling for excavating the foundations for the HPP’s main buildings and structures has been completed, along with the first stage of the process to dismantle the pillars of the existing hydropower dam for installing a water release structure. The effort to draft and approve project documents has also been completed.
