Novatek, Russia’s second biggest gas producer, has bought a piece of land by the Kola Bay where it intends to build a plant for construction of concrete modules for offshore platforms, regional Minister of Transportation Dmitry Sosnin told journalists.
The plant will be built near the village of Belokamenka, an area located on the western side of the Kola Bay, between the cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk, RIA Novosti reports.
Belokamenka is located on the opposite side of the bay from Roslyakovo, the town where state-owned company Rosneft is planning to build a base for offshore Arctic activities.
Novatek is heavily involved in the Arctic, primarily through its Yamal LNG project. Reportedly, the company is currently engaged in geological exploration works also in other parts of the Arctic.
Murmansk has long worked hard to attract the attention of Russian oil companies, but is now encountering major challenges following the downturn in Russian economy and the drop in oil prices. The Rosneft company has signalled that it will postpone the development of its oil base in Roslyakovo and investors in the Murmansk Transport Hub project are about to pull out arguing that costs are getting too high and expected profits too small.
