The ability of extraction companies to operate in the Arctic is intrinsically tied to advancements in science and technology. While scientists have devised some standard solutions for those exploiting deposits in the tundra, survival in the Arctic Ocean remains a significant challenge. Nevertheless, the Arctic waters conceal immense wealth. The explored oil and gas reserves on the Arctic Ocean's continental shelf make up about 25% of global hydrocarbon reserves, with approximately 60% located within Russian territory. With the accelerated development of the North Sea Route and Russia's Arctic sector, extraction companies are presented with vast opportunities for work extending potentially into the next century.

In Russia today, several offshore projects have been completed or are nearing completion—Gazprom Neft's Prirazlomnaya platform in the Pechora Sea has been extracting oil since 2013, and Novatek's Arctic LNG-2 floating plants will soon reach their projected capacity. Major corporations are cautiously discussing the construction of subsequent large-scale projects, as these are currently only plans. The challenge lies in the harsh weather and ice conditions: heavy ice compression capable of crushing multi-ton steel structures, massive icebergs threatening offshore platforms with a Titanic-like fate, storms, winds and more. For example, the Prirazlomnaya platform was constructed with a substantial safety margin to account for all potential hazards. Its foundation can withstand a direct torpedo hit, and the three-metre concrete walls of the caisson are coated with a four-centimetre layer of planked steel, which is resistant to wear and corrosion. 

The offshore platform was designed to withstand a 10-metre wave, which statistically occurs once every 100 years. Meanwhile, the 500,000-ton structure rests directly on the seabed, meaning that in practice, only a nuclear explosion could displace it (and not just any explosion).

Two LNG plants from the Arctic LNG-2 project have also been installed on the seabed. Unlike Prirazlomnaya, these plants can potentially be lifted above water and relocated in the future. Understandably, gas extraction occurs onshore, eliminating the need to construct a massive, ground-embedded safety system on the ocean floor. Other marine platforms are used when there's no ice, as Gazprom regularly conducts field studies on the Arctic Ocean's continental shelf. In early November 2023, the company announced the end of the drilling season on the semi-submersible rig Arkticheskaya in the Kara Sea, while earlier in the summer, the Severnoye Siyaniye platform conducted exploration in the Barents Sea.

Experts believe that a key aspect of developing offshore hydrocarbon extraction in the Arctic Ocean is establishing a monitoring system to manage ice conditions. Satellites like Arktik-M, Kondor and others will monitor ice conditions in real time and relay this information to both travellers on the North Sea Route and offshore platform inhabitants. This is particularly pertinent given climate change, which undeniably impacts ice formation and alters its movement patterns and timing. While platforms can't escape a multi-ton iceberg, they can certainly summon an icebreaker for assistance to tow the hazardous ice floe away from the station. Between 2004–2005, the research vessel Mikhail Somov conducted several experimental procedures to alter iceberg courses, demonstrating that such a feat is possible. Prompt alerts about storms, ice and winds will significantly enhance the safety of future platforms.

Interestingly, extraction companies also employ climate technologies, not for weather adaptation but for reducing their carbon footprint and enhancing environmental safety. For example, at Prirazlomnaya, production waste is funnelled into a separate, sealed tank, from which it is later transported to the mainland. In the event of platform damage, both the oil storage and waste 'tank' should remain intact—unlike other similar structures, the Russian offshore platform was designed with a focus on preventing sea oil spills. According to management, the Arctic LNG-2 plants are expected to emit 30% fewer greenhouse gases per ton of product than the industry average. This is achieved through the use of cutting-edge technologies and the high energy efficiency of floating plants.