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Arctic, Arctic oil and gas, Arctic Shipping, Arctic Transport and Shipping, climate change, dangers of nuclear, environment, floating nuclear power station, fossil fuels, global warming, mining, Northeast Passage, Northern Sea Route, nuclear, nuclear disaster, nuclear energy, nuclear industry, nuclear power, nuclear reactors, Nuclear Russia, nuclear waste, nuclear weapons, oil and gas, Putin, Rosatom, Russia, Russian nuclear icebreakers fleet, Russian State Corporation, water
Nuclear icebreaker “Yamal” by Wofratz (CC-BY-SA)
“Russia encompasses over half of the Arctic coastline, 40% of the land beyond the Arctic Circle, and 42% of the population…. 20% of Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) and exports – mostly oil and gas – already comes from the Arctic…. Between 5% and 9% of Russia’s liquid hydrocarbon resources and almost 12.5% of its gas resources are contained in the Russian Arctic shelf. Forty-three of the sixty-one large oil and natural-gas fields in the Arctic are located in Russia. Russia has also stated that it will use the Northern Sea Route – the Arctic shipping lane that connects the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, also known as the Northeast Passage – as a “national” transport route…. Russia maintains major military forces in the Arctic and those have recently been more active than in the past. It has already equipped six new military bases in the region, both on its shores and on outlying Arctic islands. Russia’s pursuit of economic benefits in the Arctic could have severe consequences for the environment… to make optimal use of these resources will require Western technology and investment..” “Report on Arctic Policy, International Security Advisory Board“, US Dept. of State, September 21, 2016 https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/262585.pdf
Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation is a state corporation in Russia. “Rosatom runs all nuclear assets of the Russian Federation, both civilian and military, totaling over 360 business and research units, including all Russian nuclear icebreakerships. Along with commercial activities which promote nuclear power and nuclear fuel cycle facilities, it acts as a governmental agent, primarily in the field of national security (nuclear deterrence), nuclear and radiation safety, basic and applied science. Besides, it has the authority to fulfill on behalf of the Russian Federation the international commitments undertaken by the nation with regard to the peaceful use of atomic energy and non-proliferation….” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosatom
Rosatom answers more directly to Putin, than some Russian state owned entities: “State Corporations are not obliged to submit to public authorities documents accounting for activities (except for a number of documents submitted to the Russian government) and, as a rule, are subordinate not to the government, but to the Russian president,…” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State-owned_enterprise#Russia “Rosatom is the only vendor in the world able to offer the nuclear industry’s entire range of products and services. It runs all nuclear assets of the Russian Federation, both civil and weapons.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosatom. See too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_corporation_(Russia)
In “Rosatom drafts law giving itself control of the Russian Arctic
Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has crafted a bill that would give it total control over infrastructure and navigation along the Northern Sea Route, signaling a major consolidation of the country’s Arctic policy“, Published on November 22, 2017 by Charles Digges, it is reported that Rosatom’s “new role will likely broaden nuclear power usage along remote passages of the 6,000-kilometer sea corridor… The legislation would also give Rosatom the say-so over which ships are allowed to sail through the corridor,…. Russia has long mulled various nuclear projects to power oil and gas installations, from delivering natural gas in nuclear submarines to rigging up reactors to drive drilling operations….“. Read this important article here: http://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/nuclear-russia/2017-11-rosatom-drafts-law-giving-itself-control-of-the-russian-arctic
“Report says Rosatom will take over Arctic development – vastly increasing role of icebreakers Russia’s president Vladimir Putin wants to turn infrastructure development for the Northern Sea Route – Russia’s fabled east-west passage through the Arctic to Asia – over to state nuclear corporation Rosatom, according to reports in the Kommersant business daily“, Published on November 16, 2017 by Charles Digges. Read the article here: http://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/nuclear-russia/2017-11-report-says-rosatom-will-take-over-arctic-development-vastly-increasing-role-of-icebreakers
“… Rosatom goes from strength to strength: it is now responsible for the development of Russia’s North Sea Shipping Route and is expected to acquire yet more functions. But are monitoring organs and systems growing at the same rate? Apparently the opposite is happening, and it’s a dangerous tendency.” Read: “Wake up and smell the ruthenium“, by VIOLETTA RYABKO 21 December 2017 https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/violetta-ryabko/wake-up-and-smell-ruthenium
“This company gets responsibility for Northern Sea Route:
Contrary to previous signals, the Russian government aims to give nuclear power company Rosatom the top authority for development of the Arctic shipping route.” By Atle Staalesen, December 07, 2017, The Independent Barents Observer: https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/arctic/2017/12/company-gets-responsibility-northern-sea-route
In mid September 2013, “For the first time in history, Russia’s entire fleet of nuclear-powered ships, led by the guided-missile cruiser Peter the Great, had been dispatched to the region. Like the military air base they had come to unveil, the flotilla’s mission was to warn away Russia’s rivals in the Arctic, primarily the U.S., Denmark, Finland, Norway and Canada,” reported Time: “Russia Takes On Greenpeace — and Stakes Its Claim to the Arctic” By Simon Shuster, Oct. 02, 2013, (Reblogged here: https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/russia-takes-on-greenpeace-and-stakes-its-claim-to-the-arctic )
In a related topic:
“Mystery persists over where Rosatom will fuel its floating nuclear plant
Four months ago, responding a pressure campaign from environmentalist and foreign governments, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom agreed not fuel its controversial floating nuclear power plant, the Akademik Lomonosov, in thickly populated St Petersburg“. Published on November 20, 2017 by Charles Digges http://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/2017-11-mystery-persists-over-where-rosatom-will-fuel-its-floating-nuclear-plant
“Russia encompasses over half of the Arctic coastline, 40% of the land beyond the Arctic Circle, and 42% of the population. Russia has claimed that the Arctic is a “strategic resource base of the Russian Federation providing the solution of problems of social and economic development of the country.” There is potential for Russia to be less cooperative in some areas with Arctic states, where its economic interests take precedence. While many countries have expressed interest in extracting energy resources from the Arctic, 20% of Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) and exports – mostly oil and gas – already comes from the Arctic.
With an economy that relies heavily upon hydrocarbons, Russia is a leading investor in energy development in the region. Between 5% and 9% of Russia’s liquid hydrocarbon resources and almost 12.5% of its gas resources are contained in the Russian Arctic shelf. Forty-three of the sixty-one large oil and natural-gas fields in the Arctic are located in Russia.
Russia has also stated that it will use the Northern Sea Route – the Arctic shipping lane that connects the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, also known as the Northeast Passage – as a “national” transport route. This would be the shortest maritime route between the Eastern and Western parts of Russia; it also plans to expand air routes.
Maintaining security through a military presence in the Arctic, particularly as traffic in the NSR increases, is important to Russia, given its territorial and maritime claims, plus military policies in the region.
Russia maintains major military forces in the Arctic and those have recently been more active than in the past.
It has already equipped six new military bases in the region, both on its shores and on outlying Arctic islands.
Russia’s pursuit of economic benefits in the Arctic could have severe consequences for the environment, potentially creating tension with other Arctic States which are working to protect the environment or mitigate climate change. However, to make optimal use of these resources will require Western technology and investment. Russia first pursued partnerships with France and Norway, but must now look elsewhere so long as sanctions remain in place. Even after sanctions were lifted, investors would be concerned about whether Russia’s legal and political systems would be safe for their investments.” “Report on Arctic Policy, International Security Advisory Board“, US Dept. of State, September 21, 2016 https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/262585.pdf
Greenpeace Arctic oil spill photo water trees
Top Photo credit: “Nuclear icebreaker “Yamal” on its way to the North Pole, carrying 100 tourists. 3 August 2001, by Wofratz,CC-BY-SA: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nuclearicebreakeryamal.jpg
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en
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