МурманшельфИнфо. 2009, N 5.

ÿíâàðü 2009 ¹ 5 ÌóðìàíøåëüôÈíôî 9 of the region lacks hundreds of millions of rubles. The situation in the bank sphere has become more complicated as well. Credit interest rates increased, the availability of credit resources declined. Paying capacity of enterprises is going down, accounts receivable are growing. The first suspensions of production occurred, as it happened on Olenegorsk Mining and Processing Works. The unemployment rate is growing. In November occurred late payments of wages, we had not experienced it for a long time. Past-due wages debts at 16 big and middle enterprises are about 35 mln rubles. There are quite a number of other alarming facts, which witness that both our regional economy and the economy of Russia are under the influence of the global crisis. And it is a considerable challenge both for the power and for business. As you know, the president and the government of Russia are taking measures to minimize the losses, to provide sustainability of financial and banking systems, to render support to the leading branches of economy, small and medium business. On a tight schedule the State Duma passed a number of important laws. The Government of the Murmansk region is following the same steps. - What specific decisions are taken by the specially formed anti-recessionary commission of the Murmansk region? - Special working group has been formed, dealing with the weekly monitoring of the situation in industry, on the labor market and consumer market, in the banking and other important spheres. The plan of anti- recessionary actions has been developed and is being implemented now. First of all, it is support of the real sector of economy. Very attentively we are considering situation at the leading enterprises, we are dealing with the requests of the directors, who want to get assistance and survive under the conditions of the crisis. The decision concerning the reduction of rent rates for the land of Kandalaksha Aluminum Plant was taken, where the low level of product pricing and the increased energy rates can lead the enterprise to suspension and conservation of production. Together with the leadership of RUSAL we shall take also other measures to prevent it. We continue taking steps to exclude the region out of the subjects’ structure of the wholesale market, united into the price zones, and, if we succeed, then we shall be able to recall the competitive advantage in the prices for energy. Despite the difficulties with the budget filling, next year we shall rack up the subsidy from 342 up to 464 mln rubles for the agriculture sector. We will not reduce the extent of subsidy for the shore-based fish processing (30 mln rubles). Talking about the fishing industry, playing an important role in the regional economy, I would like to mark the following: next year this branch should operate better than this year. First of all, the scope of quota resources, allocated for the fishermen of the region, for 80 tons exceeds nowadays indexes. According to the predictive estimate, it should give the raise in monetary terms more than 2 bln rubles. Second, the whole amount of fish, caught within the 200-mile zone, should be brought to our coast. It makes 320 thousand tons – 1,6 times more than this year. Recently during the meeting of the fishery managers we have discussed the measures to provide efficient work of fishing conveyor. Withintheframeworkofanti-recessionary actions we also take unconventional measures to support small and medium businesses. It includes freezing of the renting rates for the premises of regional property. It also includes the extension of the Regional Guarantee Fund by support from the federal budget (fifty-fifty) from 10 up to 70 mln rubles. Using these resources FORMAP will stand surely for the businessmen who are going to obtain credits. We shall broaden the list of expenses for covering from the regional budget. These are expenses, which small and medium companies face while developing their business and implementing investment projects. First of all we shall cover the expenses of small enterprises for technological connection to electric mains. These subsidies can cover 50% of the expenses. Implementing measures, supporting the real sector of economy – small and medium business – we count on effective return from them in form of preservation and creation of jobs, wage increase and growth of tax revenue to the regional and local budgets. I would like to underline again: harder times have already occurred. And it happened not long ago. But we managed to cope with the situation. And now we shall cope with it as well. I am sure about that and count on support of my fellow-countrymen, on drastic and specific measures of the leadership of our enterprises and public authorities of all levels, on coordinated actions. - Could you, please, name successfully functioning international programs and projects in the sphere of industry, transport and energy? - The main project being implemented today with the participation of foreign companies is complex development of the Shtokman gas condensate field, uniting Russian Gazprom, French Total and Norwegian StatoilHydro. On the western coast of the Kola Bay there is a successfully functioning Norwegian plant REINERTSEN NWR, producing structural steel for oil and gas sector. The interdepartmental commission has recently approved the Declaration of Intent of the Dutch Company Windlife Energy to construct a wind farm with the capacity of appr. 300 MW along the road Murmansk- Tumanniy-Serebryanskie Hydropower Plants I, II. The project of mining and processing plant construction on the base of platinoid deposit Fedorovo Tundrovskoe is being implemented involving Canadian company Barrick Gold Corporation. - What does concern Total having come to the region to participate in the Shtokman project offer to the people living here? - On the 26th of May 2008 the Memorandum of Understanding on social and economic partnership was signed between the Government of the Murmansk region and Total. The following activities are planned to be realized within the framework of this document: - organization of training of workers and specialists for Total in regional educational institutions; - creation of resource centre on training and further training of highly qualified specialists, under support of Total on the basis of one of the establishments of professional education in the Murmansk region; - measures on development of interaction in the sphere of HSE at production enterprises including oil and gas industry. It gives our region qualified workers and specialists for oil and gas industry, which is connected with the prospect development of the Murmansk region. Besides that, within the framework of Memorandum, it is planned to implement joint projects in the sphere of health service, sport and culture, social sphere. - What are the problems in implementation of Arctic transport projects? - Taking into consideration the prospects of development of overseas transportation in the North, there are some problems, connectedwith the insufficiency of financing development and consolidation of material and technical base, meteorological and hydrographic services, ice patrol. There is a need to increase the fleet of ice-breakers and special-purpose vessels; in training of high-qualified specialists, creation of relevant onshore and offshore infrastructure.