Ethnological expertise under the management of PORA starts in Murmansk Province

In Murmansk, consultations were held with representatives of the indigenous peoples of the Murmansk Province and reindeer herding enterprises of the Lovozero district, the GoArctic website reports. The meeting in the format of a working group was devoted to the ethnological examination planned in connection with the development of the largest lithium deposit in Russia - Kolmozerskoye. The participants discussed the algorithm of interaction of the new enterprise "Polar Lithium" with local residents and the conduct of ethnological expertise. The PORA Expert Center will act as the operator of the ethnological expertise.
Nikolai Doronin, Chairman of the Board of the Arctic Development Project Office, took part in the meeting. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the largest organizations of indigenous peoples and reindeer farms in the area, invited experts and lawyers on the rights of indigenous peoples, civil society activists, specialists from authorities.
“The purpose of ethnological expertise is to assess the impact of the enterprise on the life of indigenous peoples living in this territory. It must "digitize" the extent of this impact. It is important to record those who live in the zone of influence of the enterprise, measure the indicators of the environmental situation, collect and verify all possible information about the nature and extent of traditional crafts, about sacred places, about the habitats of rare species of flora and fauna. We already have experience in conducting such an examination in another Arctic region,” said Nikolai Doronin.
The Project Office for the Development of the Arctic in 2020 acted as the operator of the ethnological examination, which took place on the Taimyr Peninsula. You can read more about this on the website.
Research in the Murmansk region is planned to be carried out with the involvement of leading scientific institutions and in cooperation with indigenous peoples.
“If a country needs lithium for Russia to prosper, then, of course, it is necessary to extract it. But it is necessary to take into account the points that affect the lifestyle of the indigenous population, culture, and so on, that is, to find mutual understanding. In general, this is very important, and we feel that this is exactly what Norilsk Nickel is doing, coming to us with questions,” Ivan Matrekhin, head of the Kola Bereg community, a member of the public organization of the Saami of the Murmansk region, commented on the discussion.
The Kolmozero lithium deposit in the Murmansk region contains almost 19% of the Russian reserves of this metal. Its development will actually make it possible to create a new industry in the region, since lithium is not being mined and processed in Russia now. This will allow the production of batteries and electric vehicles in Russia using the valuable metal mined in the country.
On February 8, 2023, Polar Lithium, a joint venture between PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel and the state corporation Rosatom, received a license for the right to use the Kolmozerskoye lithium deposit. The Kolmozerskoye deposit, discovered in 1947, also contains beryllium, niobium, and tantalum. Additional exploration of the deposit will begin in the coming months. Completion of design and exploration work is planned in a few years, while the project is to reach its design capacity by 2030. The partners plan to create an integrated production - from mining and processing to the production of high-tech goods.