Russia to build hydrogen-powered Arctic station

Construction has begun on a new hydrogen-powered International Arctic Station (IAS) in the Land of Hope, in the foothills of the Polar Urals.

According to Russia’s Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) the IAS, dubbed ‘Snowflake’, will be a diesel-free facility powered by renewable energy sources and hydrogen fuel.

The purpose of the facility is to enable Russian and foreign partners to test and demonstrate environmentally friendly life support technologies, smart home and smart village systems, as well as biotech, medical, robotic and AI-driven solutions.

Other research to be conducted at the station includes solutions in telecommunications, medicine, biotech, clean agriculture, the Internet of Things, 3D printing, advanced materials and construction technologies that could improve living and working conditions in the Arctic.

MIPT rector Nikolay Kudryavtsev, said, “[The] project envisages a carbon-free Arctic station, which would host visitors from all over the world: researchers, engineers, talented science students, and even high schoolers.

“They could all make working visits to the station year-round to test and demonstrate technologies that would be a part of our life tomorrow.”

The station is scheduled to begin operation in 2022, with the total cost of the project reported to be around €12 million.