Roshydromet will receive additional 2.1 billion rubles to finance the completion of the construction of the North Pole Arctic platform. According to the press service of the Russian government, the order was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

The money will be transferred in 2021–2022.

The decision was made at the direction of the President of Russia.

It is noted that federal funding will help finish the platform in 2022 and conduct mooring and contractor sea trials.

The new platform will be self-propelled. It can be not only on the ice, but also on the water, which will allow Russian polar explorers to renew long drifting expeditions. Their implementation was interrupted in the early 2000s due to climate change, which led to a decrease in the thickness of ice in the Arctic.

The total length of the platform will be more than 83 m. Such dimensions will make it possible to accommodate more people and equipment on it than in traditional floating stations. Scientific research will be performed here, which is important for understanding global processes of climate change, as well as for preparing and implementing plans for the development of the Arctic and ensuring the operation of the Northern Sea Route. The platform design also has a helipad.

The document will be published.

The decision to build the platform was made in 2017 by the government of the Russian Federation. To reach the optimal shape of the platform hull they performed ice and sea tests of the platform model in the ice basin of the FGBU "AANII" in August – September 2018. Construction began in 2019, and on December 18 the North Pole was launched.

As previously reported, in July 2021, more than 1 billion rubles were allocated from the government reserve fund for the construction of the platform. These funds are also included in the new order.

Photo: с сайта Минприроды России

Source: PortNews