The Snowflake International Arctic Station – A hub for energy innovation and cultural exchange

Yury Vasiliev explains that the project was inspired by Anna Nerkagi, a prominent representative, writer and public figure of the Indigenous Nenets people. She founded the “Land of Hope”, a settlement with an orthodox nomadic school and summer camp to bring up and educate foster children. She saw an opportunity to further develop the settlement. “She wanted to do more for the land and its people. Thus, we discussed renewable energy options with her, such as windmills, solar panels, new hydrogen technologies and she approved this approach”, he reveals.

The Snowflake International Arctic Station will be built close to the “Land of Hope”, which also serves as a trading post for more than 700 nomadic people in the region. “Our station will not only work on solving energy issues, but also serve as a platform for creative and scientific education for the children of these nomadic families. We are working together with Anna Nerkagi and the Nenets people to accurately harmonize the combination of Indigenous traditions and a high-tech Arctic station”, Yury Vasiliev explains.

Besides being a hub for international innovations, Snowflake will also serve as a place of encounter between Indigenous peoples and visitors to the research station. “We follow our goals and objectives in respect to both the environment and Arctic people”, Vasiliev states.

The AHEAD project is a collaborative effort in many ways as Oleg Solyakov from Russian Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic underlines. Solyakov is the head of the Russian delegation to SDWG and he extends an open invitation to Arctic States: "We are inviting and welcoming all Arctic countries to join the project in various forms, from delegating their specialists to work at the station, to testing and demonstrating the equipment provided by companies and institutions, participation in the target-date funds toward building and fitting the station’s facility, and organizing events at the station. We are also interested in inviting Observer states to participate in special projects at the station, for example, exchanging experience and knowledge, as well as together testing equipment and solutions for Arctic settlements" Oleg Solyakov says.