The presence of natural wealth is not a synonym for the wealth of the present. A true value is not born in the bowels, but in technological workshops, research centers and engineers' heads. The new report “Resource Sovereignty of Russia: Reality and Prospects”, prepared by the Platform CSP, together with the Eurasian Union of Subsoil Use experts (Esoen) based on the results of the expert session, is just about this fundamental gap between the raw material potential and the technological ability to realize it. Inexhaustible reserves. But behind them is a less comfortable reality. Many deposits are a geological lottery where a winning ticket can not always be cashed out due to unprofitability, complex logistics and technological barriers.
The General Director of the Platform CSP Alexei Firsov confirms this thesis: “There is a stereotype that there are huge reserves in Russia, therefore there is nothing to worry about. But the reality is that many of them are unprofitable and uncomfortable. " In the world, the term has already been thought up for this - “service”: when buyers of raw materials dictate to suppliers not only prices, but also the internal rules of the game. This is no longer classical trade, but an element of economic neocolonialism.
An important question also arises: what about the "green" transition? He must change everything? The views of experts diverge in accents, drawing a multifaceted picture of the future.
on the one hand - financial and labor logic. Evgeny Kuznetsov, general director of the Digital Evolution Ventures Criminal Code, sees a new economic reality primarily in the energy transition: “The climatic agenda no longer plays the main role - a pure economy excites everyone more. This is the creation of new industries, investment cycles, new jobs. Sunny and wind energy requires significantly more people. No need to retrain on the programmer - go, tune the windmill and earn money. This is a huge gift for labor markets that “compress”. ”
on the other, severe resource arithmetic and prevention of dependence. The General Director of the FBU “State Commission for Miracle Reserves” Igor Shpurov exposes the other side of the medal, recalling that the future will not be sterile “green”: “Even with the Net Zero oil scenario, as long as it is now. And gas production should increase by 30–35%. But the main thing is when we are talking about renewable sources, they are completely non -renewal. They need the same natural resources - cobalt, manganese, nickel, whose reserves are finite.
