Анастасия Литвинова

The eagerly awaited Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26) has successfully ended in a set of initiatives and declarations, varying by topic and the number of participants. As well, a final political statement was adopted, confirming the commitment of all states to the UN climate action, embodied in the global framework conventions.

This season, the maximum number of scientists since Soviet times - 12 people, seven of whom represent St. Petersburg Mining University - will go to the Russian research station Vostok, located on the White Continent. Forpost asked the university’s rector Vladimir Litvinenko to tell what tasks the polar explorers face and explain whether the research in the coldest place on Earth can help mankind reduce its carbon footprint.

Some 170 years ago, whilst Great Britain and France – the leading Western-European powers – had already made it through the Industrial Revolution, Russia was seriously lagging behind. The ruling elite, still living the memories of the early-19th-century military victories, could not grasp the actual size of the gap. Driven by their illusions of the invincibility of the army and navy, they let the country lose the Crimean War. The defeat, however, forced the government and Emperor Alexander II himself, coronated in 1856, to look into retooling and upgrading the structure of the military industry. The Russian Empire’s best engineers and scientists were assigned to this task.

Four students of St. Petersburg Mining University have defended their Master’s degree theses under the triple diploma program “Modern methods of development of mineral resources.” Now each of them will become the owner of three certificates of higher education at once: from the Freiberg Mining Academy (Germany), the Leoben Mining University (Austria), and their alma mater.

The students who completed their studies at the summer schools of St. Petersburg Mining University passed the baton to their peers from other universities. They were succeeded by 103 people from 25 higher educational institutions, members of the Nedra Consortium.

The cost of coal in Europe passed the mark of $120 per ton, and in Asia - $130. Such high prices have not been recorded on the stock exchanges for about ten years, and experts warn: this is not the limit. The demand for the resource will continue to grow, and if the specialized companies do not increase the level of production, then the quotes will be doomed to further growth. Forpost decided to find out how the current situation correlates with the struggle for environmental protection and whether it will raise the head of the industry, which only recently was predicted to die soon.

In the second half of the 19th century, Azerbaijan became the center of the world’s hydrocarbon production. However, the mass development of “black gold” deposits threatened with frightening consequences. After direct distillation of Baku oil, the yield of the main commercial product, kerosene, was a little more than 30%, and the rest was called “oil waste.” They were simply poured into the sea or burned…

The number of state-funded places at Russia’s oldest technical university has increased significantly this year.

When will there be apps on our smartphones that allow us to optimize the consumption of electricity in the apartment and, as a result, save on payments? How much will the pandemic affect the global fuel and energy complex? Is the degree of wear and tear of the energy infrastructure in our country high, and what is the most effective way to modernize it? A group of Russian and French scientists gave answers to these and other questions in their research published in the highly-rated scientific journal Energy Reports.

The world public and the media continue to discuss the scandalous statement of experts of the International Energy Agency (IEA), which proposed to stop financing new projects related to the exploration and development of hydrocarbon deposits. Most analysts believe that this will not lead to an acceleration of the energy transition and reduction of human impact on nature, but only to a shortage of resources, an increase in their cost, and, as a consequence, a decline in the quality of life in developing countries. The result of this state of affairs will be an increased role of “dirty”, but cheaper technologies for power generation.

Is it possible to predict the future of global energy? Are oil and gas really a dead horse that needs to be abandoned immediately? What will result from the colossal expenditures of some states on the construction of wind turbines and solar panels: a reduction in the technological impact on ecosystems or a sharp increase in the price of electricity and heat? These and other questions were raised during an act lecture by Konstantin Simonov, Russian political scientist and director of the National Energy Security Fund. It was held at St.

Working in the Far North or in an office in St. Petersburg? Onshore or offshore field? On the staff of a foreign or Russian company? The mineral and raw materials complex of Russia provides differentiated scenarios of career development for core specialists. Viktor Feller, a graduate of St. Petersburg Mining University, has had time to work on various projects and today holds the position of Chief Expert of Offshore Projects Expertise Department at PAO Gazprom.

More than a thousand undergraduate and graduate students from 48 countries took part in it. Most of them made presentations of their projects in the online format, but delegates from Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan came to the city on the Neva in person.

The task of the new structure will include not only improving the competencies of existing employees of exploration companies and training young specialists, but also introducing the latest scientific achievements and advanced technologies into the industry.

The leitmotif of almost all debates on the introduction of environmentally friendly methods of extraction, processing, and use of raw materials is the discussion of technologies not even of tomorrow, but of the day after tomorrow. At the same time, insufficient attention is paid to the innovations that are available right now. Such a conclusion was made by the experts who took part in the panel discussion “Environment and technical progress: balance of interests.” It was held at St. Petersburg Mining University as part of the forum contest for young scientists “Topical Issues of Subsoil Use.” The conference brought together over a thousand students, postgraduate students, and experts from 48 countries.

More than a thousand graduate and postgraduate students from flagship Russian and foreign technical universities participated in it. They will present the results of their scientific research related to increasing the efficiency of mining and energy companies as well as reducing the anthropogenic impact on ecosystems.