Author: Dmitry Teltsov
(rg.ru) - The “Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” International Arctic Forum has started in Murmansk; the topics for discussion at the forum include, in particular, attracting investments and developing the Northern Sea Route. However, the issues relating to manpower and, accordingly, the creation of comfortable living conditions for people in the Arctic, as expected, are placed front-and-center at a number of key forum panel discussions. Nikolay Utkin, Senior Vice President and Head of the Government Relations Department at Norilsk Nickel, spoke on the environmental state of the Arctic region and the development of the its ‘anchor’ cities.
Nikolay Nikolaevich, please tell us about the importance of the International Arctic Forum for Norilsk Nickel.
Nikolay Utkin: Colleagues have very clearly and succinctly expressed the leading idea that people are the main driving force of the economy. What are the drivers for people? It’s motivation, of course. But not the motivation alone, because comfortable living and working conditions are also required, especially in the zones with adverse climate. And Norilsk Nickel is also not only about industry and production. We cannot influence the weather, but we can improve the quality and standard of living of our employees, provide social benefits at the enterprises and in the cities where the company operates.
Today, one of the perfect examples of work in this direction is the master plan for the city of Norilsk, that has been under the implementation since 2021 thanks to the government of the Russian Federation, the regional government of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and the Norilsk Nickel company. Unprecedented funding of 120 bn rubles was allocated for its implementation, 81.3 bn rubles of which were the company’s direct investments.
How successful was the panel discussion on the development of ‘anchor’ settlements? What top priorities were discussed?
Nikolay Utkin: The impressions are good, there was a working atmosphere and many positive emotions at the panel discussions, and I can say that this is, probably, the first big event where the issue of the Arctic zone is discussed on a centralized basis.
Today, we are talking at the forum about single-industry cities and about master plans for cities. Norilsk Nickel that is the first to succeed in this thanks to the agreement mentioned above, shares its experience in implementing the Norilsk Renovation program, where noticeable successes have already been achieved.
At the forum, where the talk is about the development of ‘anchor’ settlements and the environment of the Arctic, it is important for us to share our successes, as well as the information about geomonitoring in Norilsk, about permafrost, and much more. All this is a very hot topic and directly related to the development of the Arctic, with the desire that people would like to go there, stay there to live and work.
I am in favor of new things to appear in the Arctic, but we must not forget that there are already good things in northern cities today, so we need to think about how to preserve all the good things. Master plans should include everything - both the needs of tomorrow and the today’s realities, and the environmental agenda is always important.
We understand perfectly well that any business, especially in the mining and metallurgical industries, is certainly expected to affect the environment, and discussing this topic at the forum in Murmansk is timely and high on the agenda. We will talk about many more things, including the wealth of the Arctic region and the Northern Sea Route.
It seems to me that today’s forum is exactly the platform where many topics can and should be discussed. I would like to emphasize that Norilsk Nickel has come a long way in the Arctic, and we will be happy to share our experience in all aspects, and in some fields, perhaps, we need to learn and look for a new approach.
How is the dialogue between the state and the business progressing in the development of the Arctic?
Nikolay Utkin: This dialogue began a long time ago. I have already mentioned, in particular, the trilateral agreement between the government of Russia, the regional government of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Norilsk Nickel company that accounts for the lion’s share of the investments. We understand that without the renovation of Norilsk, neither full-fledged production nor comfortable living conditions for our workers and their families are possible, and this is the answer to your question, as well as a good example of the interaction between the state and the big business.
In the years since the agreement was concluded, much has changed in Norilsk, and people’s perceptions have changed, as well as their living conditions. The Clean Norilsk Program involving a 40-bn ruble investment over 10 years is among the projects as part of the interaction. And the Norilsk Nickel company has many such examples of the partnership between the state and the business.
