The annual International Forum “Arctic: Today and the Future” has been finished. Its business program included plenary sessions and more than 50 thematic sessions that covered such topics as national projects in the Arctic regions, complex and strategic solutions on social and economic development of the Arctic zone, investment potential and opportunities of northern regions, international non-governmental cooperation, matters of ecological safety, protection of interests of the indigenous peoples of the Polar Region etc.
The delegation of the Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology (GOST R) headed by its CEO Anton Shalaev took an active part in the activities of the business program of the International Forum. The delegation consisted of the representatives of the GOST R Central Office and participants of the following GOST R subordinated organizations - the Russian Standardization Institute and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “The D.I. Mendeleev All-Russian Institute for Metrology” (VNIIM).
The Panel session “To search and not to give up: import substitution in natural resource extraction” became the discussion platform for covering the issues of state policy in the sphere of import substitution of technologies and equipment for exploration, production and transportation of minerals, coordination of the efforts of government, science and business in these goals and reducing the risks in the strategy of "catch-up" development.
CEO of GOST R Anton Shalaev performed during this Panel session and told about metrological support of production in the conditions of import substitution. Anton Shalaev paid special attention that metrological support of the extractive industry was based on a number of Russian state primary standards of units of measurement that were regularly improved in order to meet industry requests. CEO of GOST R also noted that the above-mentioned state primary standards of units of measurement ensured transfer of units of corresponding quantities to relevant standards and measuring instruments that were directly used in production and subsequent processing, transportation and other stages of the life cycle of oil and gas products.
The experience of the Institute of Oil and Gas Technology Initiatives (INTI) concerning the development of national standardization system on oil and gas equipment and technologies while implementation of energy projects in the Arctic was examined in the framework of the report of the moderator of the session, Director for work with key partners of ANO Institute of Oil and Gas Technology Initiatives Alexey Fadeev.
Agreement on cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology (GOST R) and the Institute of Oil and Gas Technology Initiatives (INTI) in June 2023 during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 23). This Agreement aimed at the development of standardization of technologies and equipment in the field of oil refining, petrochemistry, processing and liquefaction of natural gas.
Participants of the Panel session “Arctic variable: innovative solutions for building in the conditions of permafrost degradation” discussed the advanced technical solutions and materials for construction in arctic conditions, adaptation of existing infrastructure to climate change and covered many other important topics.
Director of the Department of Standardization of Materials and Technologies of the Russian Standardization Institute Elena Kostyleva performed with the report that was devoted to general issues of standardization in the field of construction in the regions of permafrost soils.
Elena pointed out that activities in the field of standardization required a systematic and integrated approach, especially in such a complex and socially significant area as construction. She highlighted that the process of forming promising directions of standardization in the field of construction in the Arctic zone, including the introduction of scientific and technical innovations, could not be carried out without ensuring correlation of the provisions of existing codes of practices and national standards - from the design and engineering surveys to peculiar, specified requirements for building materials.
It also should be mentioned that an expert of National Technical Committee on Standardization 23 “Oil and Gas Industry” (TC 23), Head of the Department of Icebreaker Support and Navigation Safety of Gazprom PJSC Sergey Baranov became the Chairperson of the Subcommittee “Arctic Operations in Oil and Gas Industry” in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/TC 67/SC 8) in June 2023. When forming a perspective standardization work program, the ISO Subcommittee takes into account the expanded developments of a series of national standards in the field of Arctic operations within the framework of the National Technical Committee on Standardization 23 “Oil and Gas Industry” (TC 23) and also relies on modern experience in the implementation of oil and gas projects in Arctic conditions.
In addition, in August 2023 the Federal State Unitary Enterprise «Russian metrological institute of technical physics and radioengineering» (FSUE “VNIIFTRI”) , subordinated to GOST R, presented an interdepartmental program for the advancement and use of high-precision geophysical measuring instruments for remote areas, including in the Arctic ones. For these purposes, FSUE “VNIIFTRI” has developed new gravity instruments for navigation support of the Russian Arctic, which can be used in solving many problems of geodesy and cartography, including in hard-to-reach territories of the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as for further development and ensuring safety of the Arctic Transport Corridor - the Northern Sea Route.