Russian govt approves construction of terminal, establishment of deep-water region in Arkhangelsk port

ST. PETERSBURG. Oct 2 (Interfax) - The Russian government has endorsed an integrated development plan for the Arkhangelsk transport hub for the period until 2035.

"One of the main undertakings under the plan is the construction of a new terminal in the Arkhangelsk seaport. A deep seabed area will be established for the terminal in the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. It is estimated that the approximate annual capacity of the new terminal will be 25 million tonnes by 2040," the relevant decree states, according to the government's press service.

The terminal and the deep-water sea area will be developed in several stages. In particular, investors and the government of Russia's Arkhangelsk region are due to come up with an investment declaration in 2024 and submit it for consideration by Russia's Federal Maritime and River Transport Agency. The project documentation is to be ready by 2025-2026, when it is planned to begin construction. The commissioning of the new terminal and the deep-water area of the Arkhangelsk seaport is slated for 2031.

Apart from that, the plan envisages a new sea terminal to handle lead and zinc concentrate to be erected on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. It is due to be commissioned in 2026.

The document also refers to an upgrade of the icebreaker fleet and ice-class vessels, efforts to develop engineering infrastructure, digitalization, to ensure navigation safety in the waters of the Arkhangelsk transport hub, and an upgrade of human resources and scientific potential.

It also includes undertakings to develop rail and road infrastructure, and specifically, construction of new access roads and bridges toward the existing and new terminals of the Arkhangelsk seaport. These include the renovation and expansion of the Solombalka railway station in 2024-2027, an overhaul of existing automobile bridges over the Povrakulka and Solombalka rivers, and the construction of a new bridge across the Kuznechikha river. The latter two projects are planned for implementation in 2026-2028.

The Russian Ministry of Transport has been appointed in charge of the plan's implementation.

"We expected that by the beginning of the next decade, cargo traffic via the Arkhangelsk port will at least triple, which will make it possible to implement a number of major industrial projects, creating new jobs throughout the country," the government's press service quoted Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin as saying.

As reported earlier, Russia's Rosatom state nuclear energy corporation is planning to launch an ore mining and processing plant at the Pavlovskoye lead-zinc deposit on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in 2026.

The press service for the Arkhangelsk governor and the regional government earlier said the Arkhangelsk seaport's throughput in 2022 surpassed 6.6 million tonnes.