Published on: 2026-07-27
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
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In Arkhangelsk, the Deputy Chairman of the Government – Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in the Far Eastern Federal District, Yuri Trutnev, held a meeting on the progress of developing the comprehensive project “Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor”.
“The formation of the Trans-Arctic transport corridor is a strategic task not only for the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation but for the entire world community. In order to carry out this work and fulfill the tasks set by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, clear coordinated actions of the federal executive authorities, the subjects of the Russian Federation, and joint-stock companies whose activities encompass these competencies are necessary. In December last year, at a meeting, I gave instructions to the federal executive authorities together with the state corporations ‘Rosatom’, ‘Roscosmos’, and JSC ‘Russian Railways’ to analyze the possibilities within their assigned competencies – construction of railways, dredging, cargo base – and prepare appropriate proposals. Today, I want to hear how this work is progressing,” opened the meeting Yuri Trutnev.
The comprehensive project “Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor” is being developed in accordance with the directive of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, given following the International Arctic Forum “Arctic – Territory of Dialogue” held in Murmansk. Also, by the President’s order, last week the Government submitted to the Security Council a draft of the updated Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation. The draft strategy provides that the comprehensive project will be the main instrument for its implementation.
The updated Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and National Security and the comprehensive project will form a new model for the development of the Arctic, based on the integration of infrastructural, economic, and geopolitical objectives.
“When developing the strategy, we assumed that the role of the Arctic in the country’s economy would increase. The gross regional product of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation will grow from 14 trillion rubles in 2026 to 28 trillion rubles by 2035. The macro-region’s share in the country’s economy will rise from 7.1% in 2030 to 8.2% in 2035. The share of investments in fixed capital in the all-Russian volume will be 12.6%, with investment volumes increasing from 5.8 trillion to 6.9 trillion rubles per year. The average per capita monetary income will more than double—to 226 thousand rubles per month. To realize these plans, by 2035 the Arctic will need to create more than 55 thousand jobs. Therefore, one of our key tasks is the development of support settlements, which should become centers of attraction for people and business,” noted the Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, Alexey Chekunkov.
The comprehensive project, as a strategic planning document, will contain a territorially based system of interrelated investment and innovation projects and measures aimed at ensuring Russia’s national security in the Arctic, achieving national development goals, and the integrated development of the territories of the Arctic zone and the Far East, primarily implemented through off-budget sources (private investments, stock market instruments) and public-private partnership mechanisms. The implementation of the comprehensive project will allow for an acceleration of economic development in the Russian Arctic and Far East, improve the standard and quality of living for the population, ensure connectivity of Russia’s territories, and increase international transportation.
The development of a comprehensive project is being carried out by the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic in cooperation with the Federal Autonomous Scientific Institution “Vostokgospplan” with the participation of interested federal executive authorities, the State Council commission on the direction “Northern Sea Route and the Arctic,” state corporations, and organizations.
Currently, a financial, economic, and organizational model of the integrated project is being developed, and a list of interconnected activities is being formed to ensure the comprehensive development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) and the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor, as well as investment projects that will shape the future economy of the Russian Arctic. Development scenarios for extraction projects and industrial capacities are being worked out, various options for the loading and modernization of port infrastructure and approaches to ports are analyzed, plans for the formation of security infrastructure and prospects for the development of navigation are synchronized.
The Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor is a unified system of routes that includes the Northern Sea Route, associated inland waterways, and transport infrastructure facilities, aimed at the comprehensive development of the territories of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and the Far East, the cargo base, as well as domestic, international, and transit freight and passenger transportation along the coast of Russia.
The Northern Sea Route is a key segment of the Transarctic Transport Corridor. The core of the cargo flow along the Northern Sea Route until 2035 will be ensured by Russian Arctic extraction projects. At the same time, cargo flows from Central Russia, Siberia, the Urals, and the Far East, aimed at accessing the Northern Sea Route, will be connected to the Transarctic Transport Corridor. The cargo flow along the NSR has increased nearly tenfold over the past decade—to 38 million tons. Hydrocarbons account for 86% of the transported cargo structure, with general cargo and containers making up 11%.
Comprehensive infrastructure development is being carried out within the framework of the Northern Sea Route development plan: an icebreaker and cargo fleet is being built, the satellite constellation is being developed. Solutions are being developed to organize year-round navigation, which will significantly improve the economics of transportation. A financial and economic development model for the corridor is being formed, taking into account the prospects for cargo base growth.
“It is necessary to prioritize projects. Determine which of them will have the greatest effect on the economy and the budget and should be launched first, and which can be implemented in stages as the cargo base and demand are confirmed. This is exactly why we need a strategic planning document formed on a territorial basis and including interrelated investment and innovation projects aimed at achieving national development goals and the comprehensive development of the territories of the Arctic Zone and the Far East. Its purpose is to translate the strategy into an agreed plan of actions aimed at increasing the pace of economic development, improving the level and quality of people’s lives, ensuring the connectivity of Russia’s territories, and increasing international transportation,” noted Alexey Chekunkov.
The comprehensive project includes four interrelated blocks: investment projects, logistics, infrastructure, and the social sphere, including the development of key settlements. Planning is structured across four horizons – short-term, medium-term, long-term, and strategic – covering the entire period up to 2050. A portfolio of 271 major development projects for the Arctic and Far Eastern Federal District (AFERD) has been formed up to 2035, with a total value of 32.4 trillion rubles: 93%, or 30.2 trillion rubles, are non-budgetary investments, only 2.3 trillion rubles are budgetary funds. These projects will create about 262,000 jobs.
The infrastructure solutions of the comprehensive project address three tasks: power supply for base points and fields, transport accessibility, and territorial connectivity. The energy network is built on existing facilities — the Kola Nuclear Power Plant, the hydropower hub of the Norilsk-Taimyr energy region, and the Bilibino plant — and is expanded through modernization of thermal power and new projects: Kola NPP-2, small nuclear power plants in Norilsk, Chukotka, and Ust-Kuyga, and a floating power unit for the Baim ore zone. By 2035, this will add more than 1.3 GW of capacity in areas where it physically does not exist today.
A separate sector includes key settlements. The implementation of their development master plans creates conditions for attracting and retaining labor resources in the interests of AZRF projects and the Trans-Arctic transport corridor. Among the expected effects by 2035 are a 58% increase in gross urban product, 19 trillion rubles in investments in new projects, 57 thousand new jobs in the settlements, and an increase in the urban environment quality index by more than 30%. Funding for the master plan measures totals 2.9 trillion rubles, of which 60% comes from non-budgetary sources.
The participation of the Arkhangelsk region was reported by the head of the region, Alexander Tsybulsky. “We have several large projects. This includes the deep-water port project. It is currently at the final stage of agreeing on the financial and economic model. In the near future, we will be forming the further practical implementation plan, including attracting partners to this project, including private investors. The most important competence for us is the development of science. Primarily this is shipbuilding and ship repair. We are building a cluster – the interuniversity campus “Arctic Star,” which could become a base for such developments. In addition, we propose to consider Severodvinsk as a location where a dock center could be established and where medium-tonnage vessels for the Arctic fleet could be repaired and built,” he said.
Summing up the meeting, Yuri Trutnev pointed out the need for coordinated actions by all participants in the development of the comprehensive project. “We are assembling this structure – the comprehensive project ‘Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor.’ This is a major task. As a result of this work, we need to gather 32 trillion rubles in investments, of which 93% will come from non-budgetary sources, from investors. We must explore mineral deposits, clear riverbeds, build new sections of railways. It is also necessary to create living conditions for people, form new social infrastructure, build housing and possibly new settlements. We plan to carry out this work in the first stage by 2030, then until 2035. Such a large-scale project requires coordination among all federal ministries. We understand that it is pointless to implement an investment project, to begin developing a certain deposit, if it has no electricity supply, or no road has been built to it, or some stage of the work is not financed.””We divided this entire project into layers, then separate it into time segments, and all of this together will operate as a global project for the benefit of the entire country,” summarized the Deputy Prime Minister.
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