Energy & Propulsion
Across the Arctic, energy and propulsion systems are redefining access, influence, and resilience. From floating reactors and autonomous grids to ice-adaptive propulsion and subsea cables, nations are investing in technologies that sustain presence in one of Earth’s most unforgiving regions. As scientists, policymakers and people across nations converge at ARCTECH, the question is not just how power is generated—but how it is governed in a landscape shaped by cooperation, competition, and the shared imperative of Arctic stability.
Research Highlights
A floating nuclear power plant supports subsea resource extraction.
An offshore platform operator surveys an ice-encroached drilling rig, where fossil infrastructure remains a cornerstone of Arctic energy supply.
Solar arrays and modular battery shelters provide supplemental energy to remote Arctic settlements—functional during low-sun months only when paired with advanced storage systems.
Summit Essay
The Arctic Power Game
— Sigrid Jørgensen, Founder and Chair of ARCTECH SummitThirty years ago, when I first traveled north, I understood energy to be merely logistical—diesel generators, ship fuel, scattered power lines. Today, I understand it to be a far more strategic asset.
The fundamental limitations remain stark: temperatures below -50°C that freeze equipment and shatter materials, months of winter darkness rendering solar unreliable without massive storage, and severely restricted access for fuel delivery and repairs. The High North that we now know hosts an “energy pluralism” born of necessity and strategy.
Floating Nuclear Power Plants with RITM-200 reactors project power along the Northern Sea Route. Climate-hardened wind turbines stand on exposed coastlines. Tidal arrays harvest Arctic currents. And despite decades of renewable promises, oil and gas infrastructure—perhaps written off too prematurely by environmental optimists—continues to meet persistent global demand.
Energy defines the limits of possibility in the Arctic. Whoever controls power controls the future.
"The Arctic is where pragmatism meets reality," Dr. Isha Sharma, Chief Strategist for the Arctic Energy Resilience Accord, told me during her recent visit.
In the Arctic, reliable power isn't a luxury—it's survival. A single failed battery system or interrupted fuel supply can render monitoring networks blind, surveillance systems deaf, and defense installations vulnerable. This reality shapes every aspect of the Arctic power strategy.
Eventhough construction in harsh Arctic conditions means progress is often slower and more expensive than initially projected, the emerging power infrastructure beneath Arctic waters tells its own story. Undersea cables form distinct networks—some connecting regional settlements across shorter distances, with longer transoceanic links still in development phases, others linking facilities along the entire Northern Sea Route.
Will these systems connect, or has energy self-sufficiency become the new imperative in a region where independence determines whether communities thrive or face abandonment?
At ARCTECH45, we hope to explore the next frontiers of Arctic energy: increasingly cold-resistant storage solutions, advanced propulsion systems that can navigate increasingly unpredictable ice, and resilient power distribution networks . These innovations will determine not just who can operate in the Arctic, but who can thrive there.
By Sigrid Jørgensen | Photographs by Jeffrey Götleman
Sigrid and Jeffrey travelled together to speak to the different keynote speakers for this story [March 29 2045]
Sigrid and Jeffrey travelled together to speak to the different keynote speakers for this story [March 29 2045]
Keynote Speaker
Power Politics in the Polar World
— Dr. Isha Sharma (Circumpolar Energy & Resource Accord - CERA)History teaches us that energy security and operational capability are inseparable: a lesson that becomes painfully clear in extreme environments. Early Arctic installations frequently failed not due to external threats but to basic power limitations. Today's sophisticated systems may be technologically advanced, but they remain equally tethered to reliable energy sources in a region where temperatures can render conventional solutions inoperable.
Energy infrastructure in the Arctic has moved from technical challenges into a geopolitical cornerstone. The emerging undersea cable networks connecting select coastal settlements, the Floating Nuclear Power Plants anchoring industrial operations, and the advanced storage systems enabling renewable deployment all serve dual purposes.
Though deployment remains limited by harsh conditions and high installation costs, these systems simultaneously power communities and underpin operational continuity throughout the region. This infrastructure represents more than technological achievement—it establishes strategic presence and influence across the circumpolar north.
At this year's Energy & Propulsion Stream, Dr. Sharma will examine what she terms the "Arctic Energy Trilemma" - the delicate balance between security, sustainability, and sovereignty that shapes energy decisions across the circumpolar north.
The Arctic Energy Trilemma: the delicate balancing act between energy security, environmental sustainability, and national sovereignty—each essential, none easily prioritized. In the High North, every energy choice shapes survival, strategy, and stewardship.
Keynote Abstract
Dr. Isha Sharma, whose work at the Circumpolar Energy & Resource Accord provides critical analysis of the Arctic's evolving energy landscape, will deliver a keynote examining how nations navigate competing imperatives in powering their Arctic operations.
Her address will tackle the pressing challenge of ensuring robust energy security in a region where power disruption can rapidly escalate from inconvenience to humanitarian emergency.
From research stations to civilian settlements, Arctic operations exist in a perpetual state of energy vulnerability—a reality that influences regional planning across all sectors.
Dr. Sharma will explore the complex interplay between national pursuits of energy sovereignty through localized renewables and advanced storage in emerging Arctic population centers. However, she notes, that these objectives face the inherent challenges of creating resilient infrastructure in isolated conditions, where extreme costs and technical complexities often outpace initial planning expectations.
This analysis will consider how energy self-sufficiency has historically determined the viability of human presence in polar regions, from early exploration to contemporary settlements.
Her presentation will assess the development of undersea electricity and communication cable networks that enhance local resilience while often reflecting broader international relationships and partnerships. These infrastructure patterns raise important questions about energy interdependence in a region where cooperative frameworks have evolved considerably in recent decades.
She will discuss the strategic importance of energy diversification for Arctic settlements and operational sites, examining how redundant systems contribute to regional stability and resilience against both environmental events and potential disruptions.
The natural pattern of critical infrastructure requiring special consideration—regardless of its civilian purpose offers important context for current developments across the circumpolar region.
Attendees can expect insights into emerging concepts for AI-assisted "distributed energy assurance" and the technological advancements making localized renewable systems increasingly viable in polar conditions innovations with significance for all nations operating in the High North.
By Dr. Isha Sharma & Sascha Kenova | Illustrations by Miiko Uusitalo
Sascha travelled to dr. Sharma to interview her for this piece [March 3 2045]
Sascha travelled to dr. Sharma to interview her for this piece [March 3 2045]
Industry Highlight
Engineering Resilience in Earth's Harshest Environment
— By The Svalbard Institute for Advanced Energy SystemsA next-generation cryogenic battery installation in the Fram Strait, designed to operate at temperatures below -50°C. The system integrates solid-state storage, thermal regulation, and modular redundancy to ensure stable power.
A hybrid-powered research vessel conducts propulsion endurance trials in the Fram Strait, navigating fractured sea ice under harsh thermal gradients.
- New cryogenic battery chemistry maintains 87% capacity at -50°C, compared to 30% for current systems
- Hybrid propulsion combining hydrogen fuel cells with nuclear-electric cores significantly extends vessel range, with early trials suggesting improvements of 150-200% under optimal conditions.
- Arctic oceanographic changes are creating new "acoustic shadows" that complicate submarine detection
The Arctic has always demanded technological respect. But as this frozen region has moved more and more into a space of overlapping interests and increasing activity, the limits of conventional energy systems have become apparent. The Svalbard Institute for Advanced Energy Systems (SIAES) will present groundbreaking research addressing these limitations at ARCTECH45, with implications for all operations in the High North.
Cold Reality
The effective utilization of Arctic resources and waterways in hinges on reliable energy storage and propulsion systems capable of withstanding temperatures that routinely plunge below -50°C. This is especially critical as unmanned and autonomous systems become increasingly central to resource extraction, logistics, and environmental monitoring throughout the region.
Early 21st century battery technologies experienced profound chemical constraints in extreme cold. Lithium-ion systems, the backbone of energy storage globally, suffer from dramatically reduced ionic conductivity as temperatures drop, with lithium ions becoming sluggish in the electrolyte solution.
During the Greenland Coastal Grid challenges of 2043, this scientific reality manifested as a humanitarian concern when a settlement reliant on renewable energy experienced extended power rationing as battery systems unexpectedly degraded during a persistent polar low.
The "Arctic Phoenix" initiative represents a comprehensive response to these challenges, applying advanced materials science to fundamental electrochemical problems. The project's cryogenic battery chemistry employs a novel electrolyte composition that maintains ionic mobility at temperatures where conventional solutions freeze, demonstrating up to 65% capacity at -50°C in laboratory conditions (though field performance in sustained Arctic conditions remains under evaluation).
Lithium-ion systems, the backbone of energy storage globally, suffer from dramatically reduced ionic conductivity as temperatures drop.
"These storage breakthroughs fundamentally change the energy equation in the Arctic," explains Dr. Elena Kuznetsov, lead researcher at SIAES. "The chemistry incorporates ceramic separators and solid-state electrolytes specifically engineered for sub-zero operation, enabling communities and operations previously dependent on constant fuel resupply to approach energy autonomy, though backup systems and periodic maintenance remain essential.
Adapting Propulsion
The initiative's second component addresses the increasingly variable ice conditions that characterize today's Arctic. Oceanographic data confirms that the Arctic is experiencing a dramatic reduction in sea ice volume, with some projections suggesting 80-90% decline from 1950 levels, leading to dominance of the marginal ice zone (MIZ)—a region of thinner, more mobile ice fragments rather than solid sheets. Traditional icebreakers designed for thick multi-year ice often prove inefficient in these conditions.
The SIAES propulsion system integrates hydrogen fuel cells with compact nuclear-electric cores, creating a hybrid approach uniquely suited to MIZ operations*. The hydrogen component provides rapid power modulation for navigating variable ice conditions, while the nuclear-electric core ensures baseline power for extended deployments.
These advances come as the Arctic's oceanographic properties undergo dramatic reconfiguration. The melting of sea ice is releasing freshwater into the ocean, reducing surface salinity and altering vertical temperature gradients—a process known as "Atlantification" as warmer, saltier Atlantic waters intrude into traditionally colder Arctic regions.
These changes have profound implications for underwater acoustics. Sound waves in seawater refract based on temperature and salinity gradients, creating channels that can either enhance or diminish sonar propagation. The changing Arctic is producing new and often unpredictable "acoustic shadow zones" where sound waves are bent away from certain depths.
"Water column stratification is becoming less predictable year by year," notes Dr. Kuznetsov. "These changes affect everything from marine mammal communication to navigation systems. The enhanced endurance of our propulsion systems gives vessels more time to navigate these increasingly complex acoustic environments."
The SIAES presentation will include performance data from extended field trials in Svalbard waters, with analysis of system reliability under varying environmental conditions. Particular attention has been given to ensuring these technologies perform consistently in remote locations where maintenance support may be weeks or months away—a critical consideration for any Arctic technology.
The Arctic Phoenix initiative represents a significant step toward energy independence in a region where self-sufficiency is not merely an economic consideration but often essential for operational viability. By addressing the fundamental scientific challenges of energy storage and propulsion in extreme cold, these technologies may enable more sustainable and reliable operations across the evolving Arctic landscape.
*A technically challenging integration that requires sophisticated safety systems and regulatory approval for civilian operations.
By Dr. Karim Halani | Photographs by Jeffrey Götleman
Dr. Karim (Research Director at ARCTECH) visited the The Svalbard Institute for Advanced Energy Systems (SIAES) for this article [February 9 2045]
Dr. Karim (Research Director at ARCTECH) visited the The Svalbard Institute for Advanced Energy Systems (SIAES) for this article [February 9 2045]