Waste management measures

Annually, the operation activity of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC results in nearly 1,000 thousand tonnes of production and consumption wastes, three fourth of which is drill cuttings.

Environmentally friendly and resource saving technology of pitless drilling is employed in Western Siberia; it is certified by the State Environmental Expert Commission on a federal level. Decontaminated drill cuttings are used as soil during earth fill construction on well pads. To minimize the negative environmental impact of production, “Surgutneftegas” PJSC strives to reduce drilling waste generation and exclude toxic chemicals in preparation of drilling fluids. In 2022, the drill cuttings utilization level was over 80%.

Another particular type of waste generated during oil production is oil sludge that makes up nearly 2% of the total waste generated by the Company. There are single and multiple cell sludge storage ponds in “Surgutneftegas” PJSC that collect oil sludge and drill cuttings, oil containing fluids and contaminated soil for further treatment and decontamination all year round. Decontamination of oil sludge and oily soils is performed by a panning method at six centers and three upgraded lines for fluid phase recycling. Decontamination of oil sludge by a thermal method is performed using 10 Szhigatel incineration units.

The Company uses 30 Forsazh mobile thermal destruction units for thermal decontamination of oily waste cloth, filters and other solid oily waste (0.520 thousand tonnes in total).

The use of these facilities allowed the Company to prevent the burial of 89.9 thousand cubic meters of oil sludge and oily soils in 2022. Every year, the level of their decontamination reaches 100%.

In 2022, there were 96 service agreements concluded with the federal operator for safe management of waste of hazard classes I and II providing for the transfer of 22.440 tonnes of mercury containing waste and 63.047 tonnes of non-disassembled storage batteries for further decontamination.

At the same time, the Company has 47 storage battery sites equipped in accordance with environmental and industrial safety requirements and included in the license for waste management, which makes it possible to implement a full cycle of safe management of disassembled storage batteries that fall into hazard class II. In 2022, 317.334 tonnes of lead-acid batteries with unbleached electrolyte were neutralized, 68.267 tonnes of spent electrolyte were utilized in in-house production, 160 tonnes of products (spent lead-acid batteries, no electrolyte) were sold to outside consumers.

Used oils generated in the course of various technological processes of “Surgutneftegas” PJSC oil and gas production divisions are fully utilized into commercial oil after clean-up (settling).

The Company organized shredding of polymer-containing and paper waste, pressing cardboard by means of the in-house equipment. The Company’s unique facility for the utilization of worn-out car tires makes it possible to completely recycle this waste and obtain a certified product that is in demand by third-party organizations — rubber chips.