An Arctic ice-resistant platform for scientific research may be built before 2020, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergei Donskoi told RIA Novosti in an interview.

"Based on the proposal of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environemnt, measures to design and construct the North Pole platform have been included  in the draft state program for the social-economic development of the Russian Arctic zone to 2020," Donskoi said.

The minister noted that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environemnt, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development and the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, is making every effort to launch the project.

"Searching for ice for drifting stations becomes ever more difficult year after year. Therefore, the need for a new-generation self-propelled platform grows more urgent," Donskoi said.

According to the minister, the ice-resistant self-propelled platform features high environmental and power safety. The number of scientists will increase, and their living and working conditions will meet the latest standards.

The approximate design and construction costs of the platform will amount to almost 7 billion rubles.