MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. The oil and gas equipment for work at the Arctic shelf will be tested at new technical centers, the Ministry of Industry and Trade says in documents, prepared for its board meeting, devoted to results of previous year.

"The plan is to organize the infrastructure base for the so-called Arctic State Standard - three technical centers for tests of the oil, gas and mining equipment, which would be used in the Arctic conditions," the document reads.

The state program for social and economic development of the Arctic zone to 2020 in the current year will be amended by a sub-program for design of equipment and technologies for the oil, gas and mining machinery for the Arctic’s development. The ministry says implementation of the subprogram will cut the share of imported equipment for development of the Arctic from 85% to 65% by 2020, and by 2025 the share will be cut to 50%.

In 2016, the oil and gas machinery output grew by seven percent - to 251 billion rubles (about $4 billion), and the machinery’s export made 395.7 million dollars (20% growth year-on-year).