Assessment of Feasible Power Supply Options for New Projects in the Arctic Zone of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

The paper gives consideration to the projected development of mineral deposits in the Arctic zone of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Their need for power and for generating capacities is estimated based on technologies for extraction and processing of raw materials in the extreme climatic conditions. The demand of new Arctic projects of the Republic for generating capacities in 2035 may exceed 85 MW, power production making 505 million kWh. Special attention is paid to the methodology for the assessment of feasible options of power supply to projected production facilities that takes into account local climatic conditions, available infrastructure, technologies, prices, tariffs, and environmental factors to provide minimum electricity costs. The methodological approach allows multi-factor feasibility studies on the energy supply patterns for prospective projects. Power supply for perspective projects in the Arctic area of the Republic can be secured from stand-alone energy sources only. The major issue is a selection of fuel for power generating units: coal, diesel fuel, crude oil, or LNG.