The Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador at Large and Senior Arctic Official of Russia to the Arctic Council Nikolai Korchunov has addressed the participants at an Arctic Economic Council meeting at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and noted that the Arctic was playing a more active role during the conversion to a climate-neutral economy. The Arctic Council’s activities also facilitate this process.

I would like to point out the Arctic’s growing role during the energy sector’s conversion to a low-carbon and climate-neutral economy, Korchunov said. This process is facilitated by the Arctic Council’s resources and materials as well as by projects being implemented by companies whose representatives have gathered at this table, he added.

In turn, Kirill Komarov, First Deputy Director General for Corporate Development and International Business of Rosatom, noted that the state corporation operating the Arctic infrastructure was called upon to provide the region with environmentally friendly low-carbon solutions.

“First of all, this implies low-capacity nuclear reactors. For example, the first floating nuclear power plant is already operating in Chukotka. Today, we have to accomplish specific tasks, and we are seriously interested in expanding this line because this station’s capacities are enough to power a city with a population of about 100,000,” Komarov said.

Earlier, Korchunov said that cooperation between the Arctic countries could play an important role in implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change. The ambassador noted that, as a region providing countries with resources whose use meets the climate-neutral economy concept, the Arctic could contribute to the agreement’s implementation.