Snezhinka international Arctic station's project passes national expert assessment
TASS, March 13. /TASS/. The project to build the Snezhinka (Snowflake) international scientific research station in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region passed the national expert assessment (Glavgosexpertiza), the regional government's press service said.
"The project has been supported unanimously by all the Arctic countries and has been included into the Russian Federations' Strategy for Development of the Arctic Zone," the press service said in a release. "Snezhinka will be the world's first complex of this class."
The project envisages the creation of a year-round and fully autonomous complex, which will use renewable energy sources and hydrogen energy. The station will have power plants with a capacity of 1,050 kilowatts, an electrolysis station for hydrogen production, electro-chemical generator rooms, and drone sites.
The construction will begin in 2023, and the test operation is due in 2024. The construction will be in two stages. The first stage is to build three of the main complex's seven domes, about 50% of the technological complex and energy infrastructures. Thus, works inside the station will begin before the construction is completed, the press service said.
"We are moving to a new, key stage of the project implementation. Quite soon we will start building the station. At Snezhinka scientists will be able to study climate change, the permafrost's conditions, "green" energy. This knowledge is essential for the Russian and global Arctic in order to preserve its fragile nature and at the same time to ensure reliable operation of the industry, the construction sector and, of course, comfortable life for the Northerners," the press service quoted the region's Governor Dmitry Artyukhov as saying.
About station
In 2020, the Yamal authorities together with the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) began working on the project to build the Snezhinka international Arctic station. The station will use advanced technologies in clean energy production and life support systems. It will be the world's first scientific and educational complex operating on hydrogen energy. Experts will conduct practical research of life support systems in the Arctic: in telecommunications, smart home, Arctic medicine, artificial intelligence, unmanned technologies, construction and others.
The station will be located in the Polar Urals Mountains, in their most draughty point - on the border between Europe and Asia. Snezhinka will have a large ground to test experimental hydrogen-powered equipment.
