Transforming Structure of Generating Capacities in the Eastern Arctic with Large-Scale Development of Resources

Abstract

The paper presents estimates of the electric power required for the implementation of projects for the development of deposits of mineral resources in the Eastern Arctic. The creation of new industrial load centers or expansion of existing ones will call for significant changes in the energy infrastructure. The estimates presented indicate that the demand for electricity for promising projects in the Taimyr-Turukhan zone is commensurate with current consumption; in the North Yakutsk zone, the demand exceeds the consumption by almost 6 times, and in the Chukotka zone, it is larger by more than 3 times. The paper considers changes in the structure of generating capacities in the territorial zones of the Eastern Arctic for two possible development scenarios: the creation of a low-capacity nuclear power industry and the development of an Arctic liquefied natural gas infrastructure. The provided types of energy sources are rational and substantiated by the conducted modeling studies.