Key areas of environmental activity

In order to assure the successful implementation of the provisions of the Company’s Environmental policy, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC prioritizes and makes its own business units strictly adhere to the comprehensive measures of the Ecology program which is aimed mainly at systematic planned mitigation of the industrial impact upon the environment.

Key areas of the Ecology program:

  • construction of environmental facilities, including air protection facilities, waste decontamination and utilization facilities;
  • air protection and climate change prevention;
  • protection and rational use of water resources;
  • industrial waste decontamination and utilization;
  • protection and rational use of land;
  • monitoring of environmental components and control of production facilities operation;
  • ensuring environmental safety of oil production facilities, including pipelines;
  • environmental education and professional training of employees;
  • application of the “green office” principles in each administrative building of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC;
  • biodiversity conservation in the areas of the Company’s operations;
  • R&D activities in the field of environmental protection.

The stable high level of investments in environmental protection measures promotes the Company’s sustainable development, ensures effective environmental risks management, environmental safety of the production of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC, consistent minimization of the man-made impact and risks of incidents and accidents in all areas of the Company’s operations.

The key aspects of the environmental activity of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC include measures related to repair and replacement of pipelines, protection of oilfield equipment and facilities from corrosion, prevention of equipment failures and oil contamination and elimination of their consequences, air protection, industrial wastewater utilization, safe waste management, land reclamation, environmental monitoring and R&D activities.

In the reporting year, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC financing of implementation of environmental protection measures and investments in construction of environmental facilities amounted to RUB 34.7 billion, plan for 2023 is RUB 34.9 billion.

In 2022, payments of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC for the negative environmental impact amounted to RUB 71.5 million.

Environmental facilities and equipment availability

All facilities of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC, that have a negative environmental impact, are registered. The Company operates 97 oil production facilities, one oil refining facility and 20 waste management facilities. These facilities are classified as I category facilities that have a negative environmental impact. The technologies and equipment used at such facilities of the Company are in compliance with the best available technologies (BAT) included in the information and technical reference books.

Year after year, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC consolidates intellectual and technological capabilities, constructs and operates environmental facilities, owns a vast fleet of machinery and equipment used for the purposes of environmental protection. These assets include:

  • 1 gas processing plant;
  • 22 gas turbine power plants and 7 gas reciprocating engine power plants (GTPP, GREPP);
  • 33 compressor stations;
  • 3 associated petroleum gas (APG) processing units;
  • 113 initial water separation units (IWSUs);
  • 6 centers for oily soil decontamination;
  • 3 centers for sludge decontamination with sludge storage ponds, units for oily fluid recovery and Heater-Treater three-phase separators;
  • 6 mobile units for tank cleaning and initial oil sludge treatment, including three-phase centrifuges;
  • 41 single and multiple cell sludge storage ponds with a total capacity of 94 thousand cubic meters;
  • 10 units for thermal oil sludge decontamination with a total capacity of 70 thousand cubic meters per year;
  • 5 landfills for disposal of solid household and industrial wastes designed to dispose of production and consumption waste with a total capacity of 1,924 thousand cubic meters;
  • 30 Forsazh mobile units for thermal decontamination of solid oily waste with a total capacity of 22.5 thousand tonnes per year;
  • units for shredding waste paper and non-returnable plastic containers with a capacity of 1,150 kilograms per hour and 50 kilograms per hour respectively;
  • a tire recycling plant for recycling worn-out tires and inner tubes with a capacity of 5 thousand tonnes per year;
  • a workshop for application of an anti-corrosion coating on pipes and pipeline fittings with a capacity of 720 kilometers of pipes and 30 thousand fittings per year.

a workshop for application of an anti-corrosion coating on pipes and pipeline fittings with a capacity of 720 kilometers of pipes and 30 thousand fittings per year.

Environmental safety of oilfield facilities

Accident risk mitigation measures

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC implements a long-term comprehensive program on increasing the operational reliability of the field pipelines, which results in the high level of environmental safety in the Company.

Reduction of accident risks at the oilfield pipelines is ensured by implementation of innovative technologies and diagnostic methods, timely preventive measures, replacing of pipelines, creation of modern methodology and technical regulatory basis that covers these issues.

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC takes a system approach based on package solutions for optimized quality control of construction and safe maintenance of field pipelines. The Company’s spheres of activity to increase the operational reliability of the field pipelines are:

  • pre-engineering work, design and examination of project documentation in terms of environmental safety;
  • destructive and non-destructive receipt inspection of pipe products (pipes, fittings) quality control of an internal coating;
  • dehydration of well production in initial water separation units;
  • use of pipes with an external and internal anti-corrosion coating;
  • pipeline inhibitor protection;
  • field pipeline corrosion monitoring and diagnostics;
  • equipping 100% of oil pipelines with pig launchers-receivers;
  • regular ground and air patrolling and inspection of field pipelines;
  • timely field pipelines routine repairs and overhaul;
  • conducting hydraulic calculations for field pipeline systems;
  • control over pressure and volume balance of pumped fluids;
  • creation and maintenance databases, computer modeling of the existing systems of field pipelines for the purpose of their optimization.

Receipt inspection of pipe products

Performance reliability of field pipeline systems is important at each phase of operation starting from receipt inspection and compliance verification of pipes. Receipt inspection is conducted for 100% of pipes for oil and oil and gas pipelines of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC.

To ensure environmental safety of the pipelines and maintain a high level of pipe products quality, the Company performs receipt inspection of the pipes using destructive and non-destructive methods. In 2022, 18.3% of pipes underwent receipt inspection using destructive methods, no pipes non-compliant with the requirements of technical specifications were revealed.

Field pipeline corrosion monitoring

Pipeline corrosion monitoring, i.e. constant control of risk factors, causing the corrosion of field pipelines, allows the Company to assess the technical condition of a pipeline with a high degree of probability.

The main reason for loss of integrity of field pipelines is their corrosive wear due to aggressiveness of transported liquids. Among other risk factors — the pumping mode of well production, temperature and the condition of the surface of pipeline metal.

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC developed and has been implementing the program for smart pigging of pressure pipelines using modern diagnostic equipment since 2008. Thus, to date, more than 83% of operated oil pipelines have been inspected and re-inspected with geometry tools and magnetic flaw detectors. Newly commissioned oil pipelines are equipped with pig launchers-receivers and undergo pre-launch smart pigging.

The corrosion monitoring using the gravimetric method is performed at 212 control points. This method is an effective tool for managing the efficiency of anti-corrosion measures taken that allows the Company among other things to track and adjust inhibition rate in time.

Based on the pipelines condition data the Company organized their routine repairs and overhaul. In 2022, 672.6 kilometers of pipelines underwent overhauls.

Inhibitor protection

Development of the system of pipeline integrity management in “Surgutneftegas” PJSC allowed us to decrease the risk of pipeline failures by 10 times. Corrosion inhibitors are used with continuous injection technology with a preliminary shock dose. The system for inhibitor monitoring provides consistency of corrosion inhibitors performance in line with benchmark at 96-99%, and consistency of effectiveness of inhibitor protection at 90-95%.

In 2022, 1,165 tonnes of inhibitors were used to protect 1,975 kilometers of field pipelines from corrosion. Corrosion inhibitors are injected by 154 chemical injection units, which are equipped with devices for automatic control with transfer of operating parameters to ASU TP “OKO-TsITS OGPD”.

Receipt inspection of corrosion inhibitors is made by means of infra-red spectrometry. The quality of all lots of corrosion inhibitors received during the year conformed to the standard specimen. Development of the system of pipelines integrity management ensures environmental safety of their operation.

Use of pipes with an internal anti-corrosion coating

The use of pipes with improved corrosion resistance and especially — with an internal anti-corrosion coating is the strategic way to implement measures aimed at minimizing environmental risks.

Timely application of pipes and fittings with an internal protective coating in the pipeline system is currently beyond question. Since 2013, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC has been implementing programs of capital construction, reconstruction and overhaul of oil and gas pipelines using only pipes with an internal anti-corrosion coating.

The Company employs products produced by its own plant that applies an internal anti-corrosion polymer coating on pipes and pipeline fittings. The production is arranged taking into the account the leading present-day practices using new high-tech equipment and best materials.

Since the commissioning, the Company has produced more than 5,000 kilometers of pipes and 199,000 fittings with an internal anti-corrosion coating. In 2022, the Company produced 838.2 kilometers of pipes and 25,585 pipeline fittings. The protection of welded pipe joints is ensured by the use of protective sleeves of our own production; in 2022, more than 79,000 protective sleeves were produced.

In 2022, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC introduced 955.6 kilometers of pipelines with an internal anti-corrosion coating, including 516.5 kilometers — according to the capital construction plan, 439.1 kilometers — as part of the overhaul program. The total length of field pipelines with an internal anti-corrosion coating of various application that the Company operates is equal to over 8.3 thousand kilometers, including 7.0 thousand kilometers of oil and gas pipelines (76%).

By the end of 2023, the amount of introduction of oil and gas pipelines with an internal anti-corrosion coating in the Company is expected to reach 84%.

Dehydration of oil in IWSUs

Transportation of dehydrated oil is one of the efficient methods of corrosion protection. The Company has been using initial water separation units that are based on Heater-Treater three-phase separators at the booster pump stations.

The use of this equipment is crucial at watered, marsh areas with the huge amount of water courses which are typical for “Surgutneftegas” PJSC areas of operation. The territory where “Surgutneftegas” PJSC operates is characterized by a high level of marshiness: it can vary from 40% to 90% at different sites.

Today, the Company operates 113 booster pump stations that are fitted with initial water separation units. The main technological equipment of facilities for preliminary and commercial oil treatment is a Heater-Treater.

Initial water separation units allow us to efficiently separate produced formation water for its further use in the reservoir pressure maintenance system. The Company rationally uses the water resources, reduces pipelines length and mitigates accident oil spill risks.

Apart from accident risk mitigation, the use of initial water separation units allows the Company to reduce the specific quantity of metal for pipelines and energy consumption during oil pumping at field pipelines, save and rationally use water resources.

Protection and rational use of land

Land reclamation and forest protection

An ecosystem approach allows the Company to consistently achieve high results during reclamation of used lands. The equipment and materials used by the Company help us minimize damage and the temporary load on the soil during land reclamation.

When choosing the reclamation technology, presented in the project documentation, the specialists are primarily guided by specific natural conditions at the location of the disturbed site. On the territory of Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Okrug — Yugra represented by a flat terrain with a large number of rivers, lakes and marshes, technology and equipment for reclamation are unique and selected individually for each type of landscape.

After reclamation is completed, our specialists continue monitoring young plants, if necessary they set out new ones.

As part of measures taken by the Company to protect forests from fire, all stationary and mobile points of production sites are equipped with fire-fighting equipment, the machinery in use must be fitted with spark arresters. Mineralized fire barrier strips stretching in total for 225.4 kilometers are created or being cut through along the borders of the forests. We set up and operate 63 stations with fire-fighting equipment, erected and updated 624 fire safety banner stands.

Every year, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC restores forests; in 2022, 4,600 thousand common pine saplings were planted over the area of 2,303 hectares.

Pollution prevention and elimination

The priority direction of land protection is prevention of land from oil and oil products contamination. Timely elimination of such pollution consequences, if necessary, is done using Company’s own resources.

The Company maintains instant readiness of forces and means for elimination of possible consequences of accidents and incidents, oil and oil products spills elimination and the following rehabilitation of polluted land. The complex of high-performance equipment includes:

  • 167 oil skimmers designed for skimming of oil under diverse weather and climatic conditions;
  • 10 skimmer boats for skimming of oil on the surface of rivers and lakes, including shallow water trimarans;
  • 78 self-contained pumps of various application (sludge, cam-driven, rotary, high-pressure, etc.)
  • 13.70 kilometers of easy-to-assemble aluminum and steel pipes;
  • 20.34 kilometers of rapid deployment booms made of frost-proof materials, including for onshore protection;
  • 46.83 kilometers of absorbent booms;
  • 49 mobile tanks for temporary oil storage;
  • 21 sprinklers for biological agents and bacteria treatment;
  • 9 units for producing thermally exfoliated graphite absorbent (U-SRTG);
  • 26 multifunctional floating platforms for water bodies and inshore zone integrated treatment.

To pump down and transport gathered oil we use vacuum dump trucks and tank trucks of Russian and foreign manufacture. For damming and ripping we use all-terrain caterpillar vehicles with excavators and other attached equipment.

To mitigate soil damage by temporary driveways of vehicles during elimination of pipeline failures and oil spills, during pipeline inspection and diagnostics, during land reclamation and peat digging we use 1,083 temporary road mats MDP-MOBISTEK.

The oil spill prevention and response system of the Company is unique and meets international environmental safety standards for the oil industry.

Air protection

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC is the Russian fuel and energy complex leader in terms of efficient utilization of associated petroleum gas. Air protection measures are aimed at mitigation of a negative impact of production processes. It is achieved through reduction of emissions of pollutants to the atmosphere, particularly due to rational use of associated petroleum gas.

At present, the Company ensures a record level of utilization of associated petroleum gas — more than 99%. It was reached in 2012. The milestone of 95% was successfully passed in 2008. The level of rational use of associated petroleum gas amounted to 99.41% in 2022.

A comprehensive approach to air protection challenges allows “Surgutneftegas” PJSC to keep the specific indicator of air pollutant emissions into the atmosphere at the low level of 1.74 kilograms per 1 tonne of hydrocarbons produced.

Protection and rational use of water resources

The Company performs surface and ground water abstraction for industrial, technological, economic and domestic needs in strict compliance with the regulatory documents, and strives to reduce the fresh water consumption. The Company’s water protection activity is aimed at prevention of water bodies pollution, saving and rational use of water resources. Due to the implemented package of measures, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC manages to minimize the impact on the water bodies. According to the monitoring results of the environmental components at the Company’s license blocks, the environmental impact is described as acceptable.

Waste management

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC uses innovative technologies that allow waste utilization, decontamination and processing. The Company manages to utilize and decontaminate 100% of generated oil sludge, used oils, tires with fabric and metal cords in its production process.

A comprehensive approach to solving waste management tasks, technologies and equipment employed allow the Company to maintain low specific factor of waste generation and burial (0.016 tonnes and 0.003 tonnes per 1 tonne of produced hydrocarbons respectively).

Sludge pits reclamation

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC provides effective restoration of ecological functions of disturbed lands occupied by sludge pits by means of enhanced scientifically and economically proved technologies of reclamation. One of the most important priorities of the corporate Ecology program is to reduce the negative impact of drilling waste disposed in sludge pits.

Based on the results of an experimental scientific research carried out by the Company together with V.N.Sukachev Institute of Forest SB RAS and lasting many years, a unique technology called forest rehabilitation has been developed and is widely used. In accordance with the stated technology, the drill cuttings are not isolated and not covered with soil, eventually they transform into soil forming material thanks to natural mechanisms of restoration of ecosystems. Forest rehabilitation enables to make full use of the natural self-healing potential, stimulates the natural process of overgrowing of sludge pits taking into account geological and climatic conditions of the region. In 2022, 9 sludge pits were successfully reclaimed using this method.

Exceptional efficiency of the method is proved by the results of research of phytocenoses formed on reclaimed sites. Such plant communities — that include the Red Book species — surpass dominating phytocenoses in productivity and biological diversity.

Surgutneftegas has been successfully using this technology for over 20 years: as a result of forest rehabilitation the very first sludge pits have transformed into forest areas.

The advantages of this method include:

  • less emissions of pollutants into ambient air due to reduced soil moving, motor and road vehicles operations;
  • the use of natural revegetation potential in the most efficient way;
  • absence of necessity for land transfer and borrow pit excavation.

Monitoring of natural environment components and control of production facilities operation

There is a production environmental monitoring system established in “Surgutneftegas” PJSC that provides constant monitoring of the environment and its assessment allowing the Company to timely identify the adverse changes that happen under the influence of anthropogenic and natural factors.

The observational network of environmental monitoring has been operating at the Company’s license blocks for many years. The area that has been monitored by now is around 150 thousand square kilometers. An extensive database has been developed that covers contamination of environmental components of license blocks prior to the commencement of their commercial development (initial (background) contamination) and after the fields are put in production, along with local environmental monitoring.

Industrial environmental control

In the year of ecology and specially protected natural reservations, the Ecological Council started functioning; it is chaired by First Deputy Director General of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC who supervises over the entire environmental management system of the Company. Industrial environmental control (IEC) is its integral part.

The Company has the effective vertically integrated two-level system of IEC. The tasks of Surgutneftegas Ecological Council include reduction of the environmental risks, environmental impact of technological processes, and rational use of natural resources. One of the main functions is the environmental assessment, including the projected evaluation, of the planned operations of the Company in specially protected natural reservations.

The industrial environmental control activities are arranged annually according to the plan with mandatory preparation. Industrial control measures in the field of waste management can be either special-purposed or a part of complex measures ensuring compliance with environmental legislation as a whole. Inspectorial and ecoanalytical control are exercised according to the technological normative documents of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC.

The Company oversees compliance of the inspected facilities with the natural environmental legislation, ecological safety standards and in-house standards as well as adherence to waste management regulations, ecological, sanitary and epidemiological rules and guidelines of waste management provided by its internal documents, instructions of waste management and draft regulations on waste generation and limits on waste disposal. Also, Surgutneftegas makes proposals on required actions and works and their deadlines and issues sample collection and ecoanalytical control results reports.

Fulfillment of proposals and instructions is controlled without preliminary notification of the person to be inspected. The Company monitors fulfillment of the instructions every month. The results obtained are reported at the summing-up meeting. The number of the Company’s business units heads have received personal environmental performance targets developed on the basis of the results of industrial environmental control. Non-compliance with the received environmental performance targets results in loss of remuneration by the heads at the end of the reporting month.

IEC results are accounted, analyzed and summarized to be further used in business activities of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC.

Environmental education and professional training of employees

The priority is given to the professional training, namely, the environmental education of the Company’s employees which is important in mitigating risks resulting from the lack of their competence.

Avoidance of accidents and defects, high-quality work, excellent performance indicators in the field of environmental safety of the Company’s facilities are on the list of criteria for selecting winners of economic competitions held among drilling crews, teams of oil and gas production shops as well as between well servicing and workover crews.

Every year, together with other Surgutneftegas employees, the environmental specialists tasked with overseeing the compliance with all environmental requirements and regulations, participate in the competition of professional skills for the title “Best-in-Profession”, and young scientists and professionals take part in scientific and technical conference of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC.

In 2022, 539 employees improved their skills in waste management and environmental safety, among them 525 in the Polytechnic Training Center (PTC) of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC: 110 workers finished the course “Provision of environmental safety by managers and specialists of the environmental departments and environmental control systems” and 415 underwent training in the course “Improving the qualifications of persons admitted to activities for the collection, transportation, processing, disposal of waste of hazard classes I-IV”.

The corporate environmental culture and understanding of importance of the environmental protection is a must at all spheres of production process, therefore the Company raises environmental awareness among its employees and contractors. The Company holds the induction meeting with the personnel prior to each shift, and in the territories with a special mode of business activities, including Numto nature park, the employees are obliged to study special memos and animated films containing the basic principles of the Company’s Environmental policy, code of conduct in specially protected natural reservations and interaction with the small-numbered indigenous peoples of the North.

Surgutneftegas employees and its contractors adhere to compliance with the environmental legislation, the principles of environmental friendliness and careful treatment of natural resources, as well as strive to develop their competence and improve the efficiency and quality of work.

Environmental education of personnel is an essential part of large socially significant work. Numerous employees of the Company participate in the implementation of environmental initiatives, often bringing children along to the events, with an understanding of importance of formulating a system of environmental knowledge in families from the earliest age.

The Company continues systematic work to upgrade the skills of personnel in the field of environment protection and environmental safety aimed at implementation of the Environmental policy of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC.

Implementation of the “green office” principles

The Company implements the “green office” principles to reduce consumption of natural resources, electric power and wastes. “Surgutneftegas” PJSC maintains ecostandards in all administrative buildings which help cut costs on upkeeping office premises.

The “green office” principles are implemented through the following activities:

  • usage of modern energy-saving (LED, electrodeless, fluorescent) lamps and spotlights in indoor and outdoor lighting systems;
  • usage of electronic ballasts in fluorescent spotlights;
  • usage of programming units and motion sensors in indoor lighting systems and daylight sensors and automatic switches in the outdoor lighting;
  • optimization of operating mode of electrical equipment and heat consumption of buildings;
  • replacement of air conditioners with multi systems;
  • implementation of energy efficient pumping modules and ventilators;
  • usage of power filters at workplaces to switch off simultaneously several units of equipment after completing work;
  • implementation of metering devices, water flow and heat consumption regulators.

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC utilizes the electronic document flow system. Default double-sided black-and-white printing and copying is set automatically for all printers of the Company offices. This helps significantly reduce the amount of the consumed paper.

Waste paper, packing board and other wastes related to the stationery are collected to be further processed by the in-house shredding and pressing unit. The resulting recyclables are a valuable resource that is in demand for further use by specialized enterprises.

Biodiversity conservation

Biodiversity conservation is one of the key areas of the environmental policy of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC and an integral part of the Ecology complex program which is aimed at preserving the original state of the areas of the Company’s operations and minimization of the impact of production on the environment.

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC implements the biodiversity conservation program which is aimed at protection of lands, water bodies, reproduction of biological resources, monitoring of the environmental components, including study of biota, as well as monitoring of species — biodiversity indicators in the areas of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC operations.

To implement measures for the conservation of biodiversity in Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Okrug — Yugra, Tyumenskaya Oblast and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) where the Company has the most of its production facilities, the lists of species — key biogeocenoses diversity indicators (vascular plants, mosses, lichens, birds, mammals) have been developed. This work was performed by the specialists of Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Tyumen Scientific Center of Siberian Branch of RAS and the Institute for Biological Problems and Cryolithozone of the Yakutsk Scientific Center of Siberian Branch of RAS. Biodiversity is being monitored in the areas where the Company performs most of its prospecting, exploration and production of hydrocarbons.

From June till August 2022, with the assistance of the Company, more than 48.12 million young and larval peled and 1.022 thousand young peled were released into water bodies in Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Okrug — Yugra, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and Tyumenskaya Oblast in order to restore aquatic biological resources and maintain biodiversity. “Surgutneftegas” PJSC allocated RUB 50.7 million for this purpose.

Every year, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC restores forests; in 2022, 4,600 thousand common pine saplings were planted over the area of 2,303 hectares. Expenditures on this part of the biodiversity conservation program accounted for RUB 430.8 million.

Within the biodiversity conservation program in Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Okrug — Yugra, with the assistance of scientific organizations having a great research experience in the region, the Company performs biological monitoring in the areas of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC operations adjacent to Numto nature park. The Company implements measures to minimize environmental risks when placing production facilities in the wetland ecosystems, to mitigate a negative impact of business activities on the hydrology of wetlands and implements preventive measures to avoid birds hazard. The Company provides regular monitoring of hydrological regimes of wetlands together with performance assessment of culverts.

The results of research confirm the efficiency of environmental protection measures and the absence of negative impact on the sensitive ecosystem of Numto nature park.

Throughout six years, the Institute for Biological Problems and Cryolithozone of Siberian Branch of RAS located in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) has been monitoring biological resources and cryolithozone together with assessment of a man-made impact on the environment by the oil and gas complex. The received materials and recommendations were used during development of mitigating and compensatory environmental protection measures in project documentation.

Environmental and biological assessment of priority development territory and a spatial analysis of environmental risks are carried out when planning activities in especially valuable and sensitive areas. The specialists from the Tyumen Scientific Center of Siberian Branch of RAS were engaged to perform such R&D works in the flood plain of the Irtysh River.

The Company created the unique database in its geoinformation system which contains information on discovered habitat of rare and endangered biota representatives and which is updated as far as new research results appear.

Support of specially protected natural reservations and other territories with a special mode of management

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC fulfills its obligations under license agreements for subsoil use and operates in the specially protected natural reservations (SPNR) and in the areas with a special mode of management based on the Ecology corporate program, which is aimed at preserving the original state of the areas of the Company’s operations and minimizing an environmental impact of oil production.

While increasing its production output, the Company maintains the ecosystem stability and biodiversity, and the territories with oil production facilities receive additional socio-economic benefits with positive social effects as a result.

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC adheres to its Environmental policy which provides for compliance with the rules and customs adopted in the places of residence of the small-numbered indigenous peoples of the North and in traditional nature management areas. The Company ensures maximum preservation of primordial living environment, housekeeping activities and industries of the indigenous population.

To implement the basic principles of preserving the ethnos, the Company ensures the achievement of the following goals and the solution of the following tasks:

  • minimize the number and area of industrial sites and linear facilities through implementation of the best available technologies for exploration, production and transportation of oil and gas;
  • minimize a negative environmental impact by reducing emissions, effluents and waste, eliminating any man-made impact outside the areas designated for production facilities;
  • eliminate the vehicles and personnel presence and movement outside the boundaries of industrial sites and facilities designated for this purpose without proper authorization;
  • arrange field operations to survey areas of proposed location of industrial sites for the presence of ethno-archeological and ethnographic objects and, if any, transfer production facilities outside the area, subject to technological capabilities;
  • ensure subsequent restoration of original natural functions of ecosystems, including resource capacities that preserve the traditional way of life and industries of the small-numbered indigenous peoples of the North, through detailed survey of the areas of proposed location of industrial sites and consideration of ecosystem features at the design stage;
  • limit unauthorized access to traditional nature management areas and SPNR;
  • supervise observance of the code of conduct by employees working within boundaries of SPNR.

Within the framework of the agreement between “Surgutneftegas” PJSC and Budgetary Institution Numto nature park in KhMAO—Yugra, more than RUB 14 million will be transferred in 2022-2024 to the directorate of the park to renew the materials and equipment at the institution and carry out R&D activities.

As part of comprehensive support of scientific activities in the territory of SPNR, the Company contributes to frost effect studies in Numto park. The frost effects monitoring program was jointly developed by specialists of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC and Budgetary Institution Numto nature park in KhMAO—Yugra. In 2019, with organizational support of the Company, specialists of the Earth Cryosphere Institute of Siberian Branch of RAS and Industrial University of Tyumen drilled thermometric wells, installed temperature sensors and automatic stations to monitor air temperature and snow cover. In 2021, the geological and frost effects monitoring system was expanded. Thanks to this, the Company carries out research in the nature park, which will help determine the thermal state of frozen soils in natural conditions, the tendency of its change and make cryolithozone state forecasts. The research materials supplement the data of global program to monitor changes in continuous permafrost zone.

In 2022, we continued monitoring of the environmental components and exercising of industrial environmental control of the Company’s facilities within the cultural heritage site of local significance, the sightseeing attraction Sacred Lake Imlor and adjacent territories. The results of the inspection confirmed that the environment of the territory is not disturbed. All field pipelines within Lake Imlor have an internal anti-corrosion coating.

The Company successfully implements a range of measures with a view to ensure water resources and ambient air protection and prevent the territory from becoming polluted with production and consumption wastes as well as oil spills. We conduct the environmental monitoring of the territory.

The measures taken allow “Surgutneftegas” PJSC to ensure trouble-free operations, lower the risk of accidents and incidents and, as a result, preserve the habitat of game animals and areas of wild-growing herbs gathering which are the basis of the traditional way of life of the indigenous population.

There are checkpoints along the Company field roads in order to protect the facilities of the fuel and energy complex and to limit unauthorized access to places of traditional residence of the indigenous people. Working in places of residence of the small-numbered indigenous peoples of the North, the personnel of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC adheres to the following principles:

  • understand and respect traditions, customs and rituals forming a major part of the culture of the indigenous people;
  • take into account the partnership experience and continuously improve the system of relations with the small-numbered indigenous peoples of the North;
  • immediately report to the Indigenous Peoples Affairs Department of Land Use Division, Environmental Safety and Management Division of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC in the event of misunderstanding, threat of conflict or violation of the established requirements;
  • conflict resolution and misunderstanding clearing up through discussion and negotiation;
  • avoid conflicts between the employees of the Company and the indigenous people;
  • ensure privacy of the small-numbered indigenous peoples of the North;
  • adhere to environmental standards and requirements.

R&D activities in the field of environmental protection

The Company cooperates with different scientific organizations many of which are incorporated into the Russian Academy of Sciences and performs in-house scientific research based on analysis findings obtained as a result of many years of environmental monitoring.

Throughout many years, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC has been cooperating with scientific organizations; most of them are incorporated into the Russian Academy of Sciences. From such organizations we receive an independent professional assessment of the environmental conditions in the area of our production operations, they also help us to develop and introduce the new and the most effective technologies which facilitate minimization of an environmental impact.

For almost four decades we have accumulated comprehensive analytical data by means of research in the field of environmental safety, environmental monitoring and environmental and biological assessment of the territory of the Company’s operations. This data allows us to develop the tactics and strategy of our environmental activity.

In 2022, the employees from Lomonosov Moscow State University, V.V.Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute and Yugansky Nature Reserve continued biological monitoring at the Company’s subsoil plots bordering Numto nature park. The Company again confirmed the absence of hazard not only to the habitat of flora and fauna species but also to ecosystems in general in the areas of its operations at specially protected natural reservations.

The employees of the Institute for Biological Problems and Cryolithozone of the Yakutsk Scientific Center of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences carried out biological research at the subsoil blocks of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The researchers carried out field studies of the active and upper layers of permafrost, land resources, surface water, soil, vegetation, water biological resources and wildlife. Biological monitoring is necessary to assess the environmental parameters of the territory potentially affected by oilfield facilities and track the dynamics of changes in ecosystems over time as well as to predict further changes.

St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences performed comprehensive environmental and toxicological studies of drill cuttings.

In 2022, we completed hydrochemical and ichthyological studies of various types of water bodies not affected by the man-made impact in the wetlands of the Lower Ob basin. Studies of fish kill phenomena were carried out in winter.

The results of the research allow us to more accurately assess the damage caused to aquatic biological resources and their habitats in the course of business activities of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC, carefully conduct pre-engineering work and detailed analysis of environmental risks when planning the location of production facilities.

When developing the tactics and strategy of its environmental activity, the Company applies the results of the research to make management decisions aimed at minimizing a negative environmental impact of oil production facilities.

“Surgutneftegas” PJSC is one of the leaders in oil and gas industry possessing modern production facilities and technology which allow to implement constantly cutting-edge environmental techniques and use natural resources rationally that is acknowledged:

  • in 2008, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC was awarded the annual prize promoted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation as the Best Environmental Project of the Year;
  • in 2009, based on the analysis of the Company’s environmental activity since 2000 and government statistics for natural resources utilization, water and air pollution, wastes and the area of disturbed lands, the Independent Ecological Rating Agency established by the International Socio-Ecological Union included “Surgutneftegas” PJSC in the top rating of socially and environmentally responsible companies by the results of 2009 (the 5th position);
  • in 2012 and 2013, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC was acknowledged as “Best Enterprise of the Yugra Energy Sector in terms of environment protection” among the producers with over 5 million tonnes of oil per year;
  • in 2013, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC became the winner in the competition “100 best companies of Russia. Ecology and Environmental Management” and “Contribution to Yugra in the Year of Environmental Protection”;
  • in 2014, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC was the top Company in the Environmental Responsibility Rating of Oil & Gas Companies in Russia, which was organized by the CREON energy group;
  • in 2015, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC once again took the first place in the Environmental Responsibility Rating of Oil & Gas Companies in Russia issued with the participation of the National Rating Agency, and was recognized as the winner in the regional contest “The best enterprise of the Yugra energy sector in terms of environmental protection” in the nomination “Enterprises annually producing over 5 million tonnes of oil”;
  • in 2016 and 2017, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC was among the top three in the rating of environmental responsibility of Russian oil and gas companies and took the honorable third place;
  • in 2017 and 2018, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC won the XIII and XIV All-Russia contest “Leader of environmental protection in Russia-2017” in the category “Best environmentally responsible company in oil and gas production industry”, in 2019 in the category “Environmental management and waste handling in the industry”;
  • in 2018, the Company’s environmental management is recognized by the first prize diploma in the rating of transparency of oil and gas companies in Russia in the sphere of environmental responsibility. The results of the rating are provided by the National Rating Agency;
  • in 2019, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC was awarded a diploma for leadership in environmental impact mitigation according to the Environmental Transparency Rating of Oil and Gas Companies operating in Russia;
  • in 2019 and 2020, in Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Okrug — Yugra, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC won the contest “Best Oil and Gas Producing Enterprise of Yugra in terms of environment protection” in the category “Enterprises producing over 5 million tonnes of oil annually”;
  • in 2020, the Company took the second place, and in 2021 — the third, in the Environmental Transparency Rating of Oil and Gas Companies held by the National Rating Agency;
  • in 2022, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC was recognized as a winner in the contest “Best Oil and Gas Producing Enterprise of Yugra in terms of environment protection” in the category “Enterprises annually producing over 5 million tonnes of oil”.