Mumbai, June 8 : On June 5, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum , Director General of Rosatom State Corporation Alexey Likhachev participated in the session “New Horizons for Global Logistics and the Arctic Logistics Framework.”
The discussion brought together Presidential Adviser and Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Transport Cooperation Igor Levitin; Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic Alexey Chekunkov; Deputy Chairwoman of the State Duma Irina Yarovaya; Head of the Presidential Administration Directorate for National Maritime Policy Sergei Vakhrukov; Minister of Transport and Logistic Services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser; and other participants.
The discussion focused on developing the financial and economic model for the operation of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor . This work is being carried out pursuant to instructions issued by the President of Russia with the involvement of relevant ministries and agencies.
”Russia is facing ambitious national goals. By 2030, we are to increase freight volumes along international transport corridors by at least 50%, raise fixed capital investment by 60%, and boost exports of non-resource, non-energy products by two-thirds,” Alexey Likhachev said.
The “first concrete” pouring for the reactor building’s foundation marks the transition of the facility into a status of under construction in accordance with the IAEA standards. This milestone marks the beginning of a key stage in implementing Uzbekistan’s integrated NPP project and represents a logical continuation of the long-standing cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan in nuclear technologies. As part of the ‘first-concrete’ stage, specialists will pour 133 cubic meters of concrete mix, while the total volume of concrete required for the project will amount to 10,000 cubic meters.
According to the Rosatom chief, development of the financial and economic model has been divided into three stages and incorporates two scenarios. The first stage, extending through 2030, envisages increasing cargo traffic to 70–109 million tonnes. The second stage (2031–2035) involves transitioning to year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route based on a convoy model. The third stage (through 2040) envisages establishing a sustainable year-round operating model and systematically increasing eastbound cargo flows. This phased approach will make it possible to respond systematically to emerging challenges, adapt to changing global conditions, and lay the groundwork for two additional development options.
Under the baseline scenario, cargo traffic is expected to reach 150 million tonnes by 2035. However, provisions must also be made for a surge scenario involving at least a doubling of transportation volumes
“We must be prepared to switch from the scenario currently being implemented to one that is substantially more ambitious,” Alexey Likhachev emphasized.
Once the proposed approaches have been agreed upon, the next task will be to develop the infrastructure required under either scenario. We are talking not only about icebreakers, Arctic-class cargo ships and port facilities, but also about pipeline infrastructure, railroads and highways, expansion of inland waterways, etc.
During the session, participants also proposed creating a new depoliticized international platform for economic and infrastructure cooperation in the Arctic. It was noted that the existing forums are based primarily on the geographical principle and in the current conditions are not are unable to fully accommodate the interests of non-regional countries prepared to engage in practical cooperation along the Northern Sea Route and throughout the Arctic.