The ice rink proposed for Red Square during the holiday season will cost about $150,000 and take five days to construct, a senior Kremlin administration official told The Russia Journal.

"A special commission approved the plan Wednesday and an official announcement will be made Monday," said the official, who asked not to be identified. "Currently, we are finishing up a final cost estimate, and we'll soon be able to tell everyone what the plans are for Red Square during the holiday period."

The rink will be constructed on the northeast corner of the historic square, near the Historical Museum. The Kremlin official said it would be 15 meters wide and 30 meters long and be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, except New Year's Eve, when it will close at 6 p.m. Skating will be free.

Officials said the Moscow ballet theater "Moscow on Ice" – which has been operating since the late 1950s – has won the tender to construct the rink. The company's deputy director, Leonid Ledovich, said that the Ice Maker company, which produces ice for the ballet theater, will make the ice for the Red Square rink.

Ice Maker Director Sergei Polovko said it will cost about $47,000 to make the ice, a figure officials said is included in the $150,000 total.

Polovko added that the ice would be prepared in a way that would make it usable regardless of the temperature. "In 1995, for instance, Ice Maker made ice for a May 1 celebration that took place in Gorky Park," he said. "So, even if temperatures rose to spring levels this winter, Muscovites will still be able to go ice-skating at Red Square."

"Moscow on Ice" officials said they have been working with Ice Maker since 1989 and that the company helps it prepare ice both in Moscow and abroad. Ice Maker specialists said they would be using a spiral-compressed ice-making machine that the ballet recently purchased in Germany. Ledovich said it is much quieter than the old piston compressors used by other producers. "It's practically silent," he said.

He said construction, scheduled to start Dec. 18, would take five days and be ready for the scheduled Dec. 23 opening. About 70 skaters will be able to use the rink at one time. The rink will be decorated with several ice towers and feature colorful illumination, the Kremlin official said.

Originally, the Kremlin had requested the ballet to perform a show on the ice during New Year's Eve celebrations. But due to a previous engagement, it had to turn the request down. "The theater will not be able to perform because the troupe will leave Moscow on Dec. 22 to begin a foreign tour," Ledovich said. He left open the possibility, however, that some actors would stay behind and perform some acts on New Year's Eve.

After 6 p.m. on the big night, the rink will be covered with tarpaulin and workers will construct a wooden stage for other artists, singers and dancers to perform.