The Port Vera marine transshipment terminal, which opened in 2019, has strengthened the position of the Russian Federation in the global coal market. The efficient functioning of this facility guarantees long-term supply of coal to domestic consumers in the Pacific region, as well as to foreign partners of our country.
In 2017, the First Vice-Governor of Primorsky Krai Vasily Usoltsev said that the situation on the world market contributes to an increase in the volume of trade in raw materials, and coal is no exception. The official also stressed that the operating capacities of the coal terminals in the region at the moment cannot fully satisfy the growing volumes of transshipment. In addition, Usoltsev drew attention to the fact that residents of the port cities of Primorsky Krai (Nakhodka, Vladivostok, Posyet), through which coal is exported, are faced with the problem of the presence of coal dust on city streets, which negatively affects the processes associated with the formation of a comfortable urban environment.
The way out of this situation was the construction of high-tech specialized terminals, taken out of the boundaries of settlements. This is how the idea of creating the port of Sukhodol in the Telyakovskoye Bay (its opening is scheduled for this year) and the port of Vera, located on the coast of Ussuri Bay, in the area of Cape Otkryty, was born in the Primorsky Territory (commissioning of the objects of the first stage of construction took place in 2019).
Initially, it was assumed that the construction of the new Port Vera coal terminal would become an integral part of the Russian-Chinese project, which would include the construction of a thermal power plant with power lines to export electricity to the People's Republic of China, the development of the Ogodzhinskoye deposit (hard coal) and the construction of the port itself. On the Russian side, this memorandum was signed in 2014 by the state corporation Rostec, and on the Chinese side, by Shenhua. At that time, the head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, estimated investments in construction at 8-10 billion dollars. Later it became known that a Chinese company was withdrawing from this project, and the place of the new co-investor was taken by the A-Property company, owned by Russian businessman Albert Avdolyan.
In 2020, after the commissioning of the first stage of the terminal, the head of Rosmorrechflot, Alexander Poshivai, stated that by the end of the year, the port's capacity would amount to 7 million tons. It was supposed to reach the design capacity, which will reach 20 million tons, in 2022 after the completion of the second stage of the terminal construction. The total investment in the implementation of this project until 2023 was estimated at 15,4 billion rubles. With the planned development of the port, it is expected that the annual volume of tax deductions will exceed 2 billion rubles a year.
Over time, the functionality of the new port also changed, initially the terminal specialized in handling cargo from the Ogodzhinsky field, which was already mentioned above, but already in May 2020 it began transshipment of raw materials from the Elga field (coking coal), after the company "A -Property (a major investor in this project) bought this field from Mechel for 97 billion rubles.
We should also not forget about social projects, the implementation of which became possible along with the construction of the terminal. Thus, the stevedoring company "Port Vera", serving the terminal, is actively engaged in the repair and creation of new roads in the surrounding areas. By April 2020, at least 80 million rubles had already been invested in the repair of problem sections of the Podyapolskoye-Mysovoy-Bolshoy Kamen road. The Ministry of Economic Development of Primorsky Krai emphasized that the interaction of large companies with the population is one of the key indicators that characterizes the effectiveness of large economic projects implemented in the region.
The high importance of this project is also emphasized by its inclusion in the rating of investment projects for assessing the cumulative impact on the socio-economic development of the Far East, compiled by experts from the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2019. "Port Vera" took the ninth place in it.
In the context of the existing economic restrictions faced by Russia, the development of transport infrastructure in the Far East is of particular importance for our country. New facilities will increase the presence of the Russian Federation in the Asia-Pacific region, simplifying the delivery of goods to friendly countries. Thus, at present, six new ports are being simultaneously built in the Primorsky Territory, which will allow adding 100 million tons to the existing cargo turnover. Against the background of increasing coal exports from Russia to China and India (+11,2% and +147%, respectively), such a development vector can be considered a rather competent decision. One of the first projects aimed at achieving these goals was Port Vera.
Do not forget about the positive effect for the subjects of the Far East themselves. The increased attention of the first persons of the state to the development of this region suggests that many people have recently come to understand the strategic importance of these territories, which is expressed not only in words, but also in real activities. A certain economic backwardness of the subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District, caused by historical, political and geographical features of the development of our country, leads to negative consequences. In economic terms, the Russian Federation has a pronounced tilt towards its European part, which subsequently largely determined its asymmetric development.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the large marine terminal "Port Vera" was able to strengthen the position of the Russian Federation as one of the key players in the trade market, becoming one of the first such projects in the Far East, it was in many ways ahead of the time, which just a few years after the commissioning the terminal into operation began to be characterized by gigantic sanctions pressure on our country. The operation of the Port Vera terminal guarantees long-term supplies of coal to domestic consumers in the Pacific region, as well as to foreign partners of the Russian Federation.