Russian World Cup Stadium Constructors Looking For Ways To Cut Costs

Russian contractors for 2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums, hit by devaluation of the national currency, are looking for ways to cut costs to avoid going over budget and behind schedule. "Costs of imported equipment have gone up by 40% to 50% due to ruble devaluation," a spokesperson for Stroytransgaz, the contractor for 16.4B ruble ($216M) Arena Pobeda in Volgograd and a 17B ruble ($224M) stadium in Nizhni Novgorod, told SBD Global. "If we don't find local replacements for imported equipment, we can go over budget by 10-15 percent." Both arenas are financed by the central government, and Stroytransgaz said it will still stick to previously set completion deadlines in Dec. '17 for Nizhni Novgorod and Nov. '17 for Volgograd. However, the example of Russia's most expensive football stadium, Zenit Arena, which has gone substantially over budget and behind schedule since construction began in '07, shows that it may not be easy for the contractors.
Vladimir Kozlov is a writer in Moscow.