THE EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION OF IMPLEMENTING MICRO-HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS FOR THE ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN REMOTE AREAS OF THE ARCTIC ZONE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE MURMANSK REGION)

The article considers the problem of power supply to remote ecotourism areas of the Murmansk region. In such areas, diesel generators are used to supply tourist complexes, the fuel for which is mainly delivered by helicopters, which is the reason for the high cost of electricity. At the same time, the operation of diesel generators is accompanied by harmful emissions into the environment, which contradicts the principles of ecotourism, where human influence on nature implies actions related to the preservation of nature in its natural state. Using the example of two tourist complexes “Acha” and “Pacha”, the authors suggest one of the solutions to these problems: the use of micro-hydroelectric power plants together with diesel generators. They outline that in this case the main effect is expressed in fuel economy and, as a result, in 1.5-fold reduction in the cost of electricity generated. Also, due to fuel economy in the two tourist complexes considered, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by a total of 29 tons per working season. The discounted payback period of micro-hydroelectric power plants will be about 2 years.

1. Kunnikov A. V. Prospects for the development of the Arctic cruise tourism in the western sector of the Russian Arctic. Arktika: ekologiya i ekonomika. [Arctic: Ecology and Economy], 2020, no. 4 (40), pp. 130—138. DOI: 10.25283/2223-4594-2020-4-130-138. (In Russian).
2. Sevastyanov D. V. Arctic tourism in the Barents Sea region: current situation and boundaries of the possible. Arktika i Sever, 2020, no. 39, pp. 26—36. DOI: 10.37482/issn2221-2698.2020.39.26. (In Russian).
3. Timoshenko D. S. Sustainable Tourism Development in the Russian Arctic: Challenges And Prospects. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2020, vol. 539, 012097. DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/539/1/012097.
4. Grushenko E. B. Ecological sea tourism as a factor in the sustainable development of the Russian Arctic. Proceedings of the Fersman Scientific session of the Mining Institute of the KSC RAS, 2018, no. 15, pp. 433—436. DOI: 10.31241/FNS.2018.15.110. (In Russian).
5. Nefedova L. V., Solovyov D. A. Opportunities and risks of using renewable energy in the energy supply of tourism in the Arctic. Renewable energy: problems and prospects. Actual problems of development of renewable energy resources. Materials of the VI International Conference “Renewable Energy: Problems and Prospects” and the XII School of Young Scientists “Actual Problems of Development of Renewable Energy Resources” named after E. E. Spielrain. Makhachkala, 2020, pp. 92—96. DOI: 10.33580/2313-5743-2020-8-1-92-96. (In Russian).
6. Chaika L. V. Traditional and new small-scale power generation in the northern regions of Russia. Sever i rynok: formirovaniye ekon. poryadka, 2021, no. 1 (71), pp. 13—25. DOI: 10.37614/2220-802X.1.2021.71.002. (In Russian).
7. Ivanov A. V., Skladchikov A. A., Khrennikov A. Yu. Development of the electric power industry in the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation, taking into account the use of renewable energy sources. Ros. Arktika, 2021, no. 2 (13), pp. 62—80. DOI: 10.24412/2658-4255-20212-62-80. (In Russian).
8. Minin V. A., Rozhkova A. A., Bezhan A. V. Possible directions for the integration of renewable energy sources in the energy sector of the Murmansk region. Herald of the Kola Science Centre of RAS, 2019, vol. 3 (11), pp. 124—133. DOI: 10.25702/KSC.2307-5228.2019.11.2.124-133. (In Russian).
9. Konovalova O. E. Renewable river resources of the Murmansk region and their use in the energy sector: yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Sever i rynok: formirova­niye ekon. poryadka, 2020, no. 3, pp. 144—156. DOI: 10.37614/2220-802X.2.2020.69.010. (In Russian).
10. Resources of surface waters of the USSR. Vol. 1. Ed. by Yu. A. Elshina, V. V. Kupriyanova. Leningrad, Gidrometeoizdat, 1970, 316 p. (In Russian).
11. Egorova E. N., Kaurova O. V., Drobyshev E. A., Mikhalyova Yu. Yu. Problems of Development of Ecological Tourism in Especially Protected Natural Territories of Russia. Sots. politika i sotsiologiya, 2017, vol. 16, no. 2 (121), pp. 29—37. DOI: 10.17922/2071-3665-2017-16-2-29-37. (In Russian).
12. Blamey R. K. Ecotourism: The Search for an Operational Definition. J. of Sustainable Tourism, 1997, vol. 5 (2), pp. 109—30. DOI: 10.1080/09669589708667280.
13. Spirin E. A., Nikitin A. A., Golovin M. P. et al. On the choice of the type of micro-hydro power plant and its optimal capacity depending on hydrological parameters. VI All-Russian Conference 25—27.03.2014. Proceedings of the Samara Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2014, vol. 16, no. 1 (2), pp. 543—547. (In Russian).
14. Bogdanov V. V., Balashov K. N., Panin A. P. Rivers Varzina and Drozdovka. Water and energy resources of the Kola Peninsula. Iss. 4. Moscow; Leningrad, Publ. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1960, 83 p. (In Russian).
15. Catalog of the rivers of the Murmansk region. Moscow; Leningrad, Publ. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1962, 210 p. (In Russian).
16. Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation “On approval of guidelines and guidelines for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions by organizations engaged in economic and other activities in the Russian Federation” dated June 30, 2015, no. 300. Available at: https://docs.cntd.ru/document/420287801.
17. Micro hydropower plant Akula for rivers and canals. (Patent no. 119866). Available at: https://dealanenergo.ru/nasha-produktciya/ges/ges-akula. (In Russian).