First Deputy Governor of the Murmansk Region Alexei Tyukavin presented a plan of the Kola Backbone Zone, where project-based approach for the development of Russia's Arctic zone will be tested. In all, 35 priority investment projects worth over 500 billion rubles in total have been selected for the Kola Backbone Zone, Mr. Tyukavin said at the plenary meeting "Regional Models of Development of the Supporting Zones" held as part of the 6^th International Forum "Arctic: Today and the Future."

The First Deputy Governor noted that the Murmansk Transport Hub, one of the 17 most ambitious Arctic development projects, will form the core of the Kola Backbone Zone. The total amount of investment will reach about 145 billion rubles.

"Combined with the renovation of the airport, rail and road infrastructure and construction of new ship maintenance facilities and modernization of the existing ones, Murmansk will host the largest logistics center in the Arctic," Alexei Tyukavin said.

Priority initiatives to be implemented in the Murmansk Region include NOVATEK's project for the construction of marine superstructures; construction of a coastal support base for shelf projects realization by Rosneft; mining companies' projects; and those providing stable electricity supply for industrial facilities.

The 6^th International Forum "Arctic: Today and the Future" is being held in St. Petersburg on December 5-7, 2016 by the Association of Polar Explorers interregional public organization. Rossiya Segodnya is the forum's general information partner and The Arctic is its official information  partner.