During the past fifteen years, there has been a revival of Russia’s commercial activity in the Arctic. Rich natural resource deposits located on- and offshore, as well as the
commercial potential of the Northern Sea Route, were declared in the Russian Arctic Strategy (2008) to be a guarantee of Russia’s future economic prosperity and
influence in world affairs. The large-scale industrialisation of the Russian Arctic may have both positive and negative economic, social, cultural and environmental implications
on local societies.
Yamal LNG is a flagship re-industrialisation project in the Russian Arctic, which will become the largest LNG production facility above the Arctic Circle, with an annual capacity
of 16.5 MT. However, if Arctic industrialisation plans do not take into consideration the long-term effects of energy projects on the local environment and population, there is a danger that Yamal LNG and other projects aimed at reviving Russia’s commercial activity in the Arctic will repeat the fate of the flagships of Soviet industrialisation.
A full copy of Daria Gritsenko's latest Aleksanteri Insight is available for download at http://www.helsinki.fi/aleksanteri/english/insight/AI_17_1.pdf
Aleksanteri Insight is a series of expert opinions, published by the Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki since 2013. It presents in a short format analysis of specific issues, their underlying causes and implications in the Eurasian context. The expert views address different trends, grasp hidden agendas and provide context to popular media headlines.