© RIA Novosti. Ilya Naymushin

Russia to upgrade 20 Arctic airports in the next ten years

The Government has approved a comprehensive infrastructure expansion plan until 2036 to reconstruct 15 northern airports in Salekhard in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, Murmansk and Apatity in the Murmansk Region, Arkhangelsk in the Arkhangelsk Region, Udachny, Nyurbe, Magan and Olyokminsk in Yakutia, Markovo, Keperveyem and Lavrenty in the Chukotka Autonomous Area, Krasnoyarsk, Khatanga and Dikson in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and Naryan-Mar in the Nenets Autonomous Area.

Five new airport facilities are to be built in Mirny and Zyryanka (Yakutia) Bukhta Provideniya (Providence Bay) and Ugolny (the Chukotka Autonomous Area) and Vorkuta in the Komi Republic.

The seaport infrastructure will also expand, and Sabetta seaport in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area will receive a terminal for the transshipment of LNG and stable gas condensate with an annual capacity of 9.7 million metric tons. An LNG transshipment facility with an annual capacity of 20.4 million metric tons will be built in the Ura Isthmus in the Murmansk Region. Additionally, there are plans to build a multirole transshipment terminal with an annual capacity of 1.9 million metric tons in Pevek seaport on Cape Naglyoinyn in the Chukotka Autonomous Area.  

The Eastern Operating Domain will be upgraded as well, and the annual capacity of the Baikal-Amur and Trans-Siberian mainlines is to reach 180 million metric tons.

To make the Yamal tourist cluster more accessible, construction of a motorway will be launched in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area from the town of Kharp towards an alpine skiing center and the Snezhinka (Snowflake) international Arctic station.