Dmitriy Kobylkin: Fulfillment of infrastructural projects in Yamal will become support for strategic interests of Russia in the Arctic

The working conference of the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation took place in Sabetta. Providing of security of population and critically important objects of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation at fulfillment of economic and infrastructural projects on the territory of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug became the main theme.

As the press-service of the governor of Yamal informs, the Secretary of the Security Council Nikolay Patrushev opened the conference. As he notes, competition for study, development and exploitation of arctic natural resources grows on the background of aggravation of the international situation. As the Secretary of the Security Council underlines, majority of arctic powers in advanced tempos develop infrastructure, increase economic activity in the Arctic, at that the situation becomes complicated because of illegal economic sanctions imposed on Russia, as he notes. As Nikolay Patrushev declares, with consideration of the formed conditions fulfillment of decisions taken within the sitting of the Security Council in April of 2014 on the issue of state policy in the Arctic in interests of national security has principal significance. The Secretary of the Security Council of Russia called advanced development of transport infrastructure the priority direction in the Arctic. This infrastructure will allow integrating Russian subjects, which are included into the Arctic zone, into the unified transport system and economic space of the country. Projects being fulfilled on the territory of Yamal, which completely respond to tasks of the strategy on development of the Arctic zone and providing of national security, have key significance in development of the Russian Arctic zone, as Nikolay Patrushev underlines. The presidential envoy in Ural Federal Okrug Igor Kholmanskikh also spoke within the working conference. As he notes, today there is an opportunity to evaluate the course of practical fulfillment of the project on creation of the center for production of liquefied natural gas in the Arctic. Active development of the largest oil and gas fields situated on the peninsulas Yamal, Gydan and water areas of the Gulf of Ob was started. Their total reserves on gas make more than 20 trillion cubic meters, oil and condensate – more than 3 milliard and 500 million tons. However, the level of development of transport infrastructure on the territory of the region does not correspond to scale of economic projects being fulfilled here, as he says. According to the words of the presidential envoy, the project "The Northern Latitudinal Route" should become a logical solution. As he reminds, a motor-road segment of the bridge across the Nadym River was input to operation on the 12th of September of 2015. As he adds, in fact, it is left to solve an issue of financing of building the bridge across the Ob River near the town Salekhard, what will require for assistance of the federal center. The governor of Yamal Dmitriy Kobylkin presented the report about state of affairs in the region and projects being fulfilled here. "The speed of changes occurring today in the Arctic is felt in Sabetta as nowhere else. Three years ago this place was just a desolate expanse of tundra. Today the amount of built objects amazes imagination", as the governor of Yamal notes. Also Dmitriy Kobylkin says that Yamal is experiencing the rebirth. He distinguishes building of the plant "Yamal LNG", input of unique Bovanenkovo field to full capacity, development of Novoportovskoye and Messoyakha centers of oil extraction in the east of the region among large investment projects. As he notes, development of these projects key for national economy would be impossible without building of large infrastructural communications: the railroad line "Obskaya – Bovanenkovo", the sea port of Sabetta and the oil pipeline system "Zapolyarye – Purpe", as the governor of Yamal underlines. In his report Dmitriy Kobylkin presented information about the project of the Arctic transport corridor. The combined bridge across the Nadym River is the first link. The motor-road segment of this bridge was input to operation this September. A linear part of the Northern Latitudinal Route from Nadym to Salekhard is the second. The third link includes the bridge across the Ob River that connects Salekhard with the station Obskaya. The operating railroad line from the station Obskaya to Bovanenkovo is the fourth. The railroad line from Bovanenkovo to Sabetta is the next link. At that, its designing has been already completed. A financial and organizational model on the basis of governmental and private partnership was elaborated and coordinated. The sea port of Sabetta, through the Northern Sea Route that opens the access to the World Ocean is the sixth link. 5 of 6 links of the Arctic transport corridor were built or a definite decision was taken on them, as Dmitriy Kobylkin notes. Only one issue is being solved now – the bridge across the Ob River near Salekhard, which can be built only with participation of the federal center. Dmitriy Kobylkin explained the position of Yamal: the object in chain reaction will start up fulfillment of projects being financed by private investors. In the result the whole Arctic zone of Russia will receive a powerful transportation and infrastructural instrument. This instrument, as he says, will be able to solve different and difficult tasks, including ones on providing of national security and increase in defense capability of the country, as Dmitriy Kobylkin notes. Once again he underlines his position: solving of the issue on financing of building the bridge passage across the Ob River should take place on the federal level. The governor of the arctic region asked for help from the Secretary of the Security Council and the presidential envoy of Ural Federal Okrug in solving of this task important for Russia. In his report the governor attracts attention to the most important issues on providing of complex safety of the Arctic zone, for which, in opinion of people of Yamal, creation of corresponding rescue and military infrastructure is necessary. The head of the region, in particular, notes that he considers necessary to come back to the initiative of creation of the specialized rescue center, building of which was planned in Nadym. Dmitriy Kobylkin underlines that Yamal supports the decision about forming of the separate motorized rifle arctic brigade in the district of the town Labytnangi. As he adds, it is necessary to start its formation in coming time. Yamal is ready to render all the necessary assistance. Dmitriy Kobylkin reminds the words of the President of the country that Russia during tens of years was extending its positions in the Arctic, and the task is not only to restore them in full capacity but also to strengthen qualitatively. The governor is sure that fulfillment of infrastructural projects in Yamal will provide dynamic development of oil and gas complex and economy of the country in general and also will become support of strategic interests of Russia in the Arctic, as the governor of Yamal completes his speech. The participants of the conference in details discussed the course of fulfillment of the Strategy on development of the Russian Arctic zone and national security till 2020. Also they scrutinized additional measures on providing of firefighting and ecological security, decrease in risks of emergency situations of technogenic character on objects of transport and production infrastructure and also issues of their anti-terrorist protection. Besides, recommendations directed to providing of transport and energy security of arctic regions were taken within the conference. The following representatives participated in the conference: the presidential envoy in Ural Federal Okrug Igor Kholmanskikh, the governor of Yamal Dmitriy Kobylkin, the deputy minister for energy of Russia Kirill Molodtsov, the deputy minister for transport of Russia Aleksey Tsydenov, the deputy minister of the Russian Federation for civil defense, emergency situations and elimination of consequences of natural disasters Alexander Chupriyan, the first deputy minister for natural resources and ecology of Russia Denis Khramov, the chairman of the Board of JSC "NOVATEK" Leonid Mikhelson, the director of the Federal state institution "Administration of the Northern Sea Route" Alexander Olshevskiy, the deputy head of the Service –the head of the Coast Guard department of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia Yuriy Alekseev, the head of the regional department of the Federal Security Service of Russia for Tyumen region Vadim Pyatiletov, the head of Karelia Alexander Khudilaynen and others. As we should note, before the meeting the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolay Patrushev evaluated progress of building of the plant on production of liquefied natural gas for the project "Yamal LNG" located in the South Tambey field on the shore of the Gulf of Ob. Also he got acquainted with activity of the international airport "Sabetta" (as we should remind, starting from February 2015, the airport serves air transportations of rotational teams of builders participating in the project "Yamal LNG"). The Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, being accompanied by the governor of Yamal Dmitriy Kobylkin and other participants of the conference, also visited the building site of the sea port, which already operates in year-round mode and receives building materials and technological modules of the LNG-plant.