Prospects of peat development in the Arctic and Subarctic zones of Russia

Abstract

The vital infrastructure of Russia’s Arctic and Subarctic, in view of severe nature and climate, consumes much energy sources, mostly, coal shipped from central Russia by water transport via the Northern Sea Route (2-3 thousand kilometers) in summer. This raises the cost 3-4 times. A good alternative to the imported fuel is local peat. The principal consumer of peat as a fuel can be the Verkhoyansk Region in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), which is the subject of research. This article describes the promising deposits of peat in this region, peat occurrence conditions and possible production output. The scope of the discussion embraces the most popular methods of peat production: milling, hydraulic, dredging, scraper-elevator, cutting, milling-and-forming, shoveling, etc., with field curing and harvesting. However, because of high bogginess of the tundra zone, the listed methods of peat production are unusable. In this regard, the most promising approach is winter production of frozen peat with preliminary monitoring of the frozen thickness by ground penetrating radar. The earlier studies into the temperature conditions of the active soil layers, including peat beds, are presented. The chosen technology will ensure maximum preservation of landscape and ecological safety.