Hydrocarbon production has reached considerable volumes in the last few years, with 518 million tonnes of oil and 655 billion cubic metres of natural gas produced in 2012.
At the same time, active oil reserves are being depleted in a number of traditional oil provinces. In perspective, the growth in oil output will be primarily ensured in new oil provinces (Eastern Siberia, the Far East, the continental shelf and the bottom of the Caspian Sea).
Expansion of hydrocarbon production on the continental shelf is fraught with growing risks of accidents at oil producing and transportation facilities and, as a result, oil spills. In this context, it is necessary to pay special attention to industrial and environmental safety in the construction of sea-based production facilities and the intensive development of tankers and pipelines.
The Government is upgrading legislation on environmental protection. In 2011, it adopted two federal laws on enhancing the efficiency of state environmental supervision and monitoring. Law No. 242-FZ, adopted on July 18, 2011, stipulates the introduction of amendments to a number of legal acts of the Russian Federation on state control (oversight) and municipal control. Law No. 331-FZ, adopted on November 21, 2011, envisaged the introduction of amendments to the federal law On Environmental Protection and some other legal acts.
At present experts are completing the work on a draft law regulating the procedure for eliminating damage to the environment, which provides for, among other things, the formation of a special fund to this end, and is based on international experience in land reclamation after industrial damage.
Federal law No. 287-FZ of December 30, 2012, On Introducing Amendments to the Federal Law On the Continental Shelf of the Russian Federation and the Federal Law On Internal Waters, Territorial Seas and the Adjacent Areas of the Russian Federation, came in force in July 2013.
This law has given legal seal to the responsibilities of oil companies operating on the continental shelf on preventing spills of oil and oil products.
In addition, companies developing hydrocarbon deposits on the continental shelf must have a system of monitoring the condition of the sea environment in the area of their operation (including a system for detecting spills of oil and oil products), and a network of communications alerting about spills of oil and oil products.
Funds must also be allocated for measures to prevent and eliminate spills of oil and oil products, including complete reimbursement for damage inflicted by them on the environment, including bio resources, as well as the life, health and property of individuals and companies.
To implement the provisions of Federal Law No. 287-FZ, experts have prepared a draft of the Government’s resolution on endorsing the rules for planning and carrying out measures to prevent emergencies caused by spills of oil and oil products and to eliminate their consequences on the territory of the Russian Federation, its continental shelf and its exclusive economic zone.
The Caspian Sea is a unique intercontinental body of water that requires special legal status. Its bottom is neither Russian territory, nor its continental shelf or its exclusive economic zone. Apart from ratified agreements with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, Russian legislation does not formally regulate subsurface management on the Caspian Sea floor.
Oil companies have discovered seven oil and gas deposits in the Caspian Sea – Korchagin, Filanovsky, Khvalynskoye, Sarmatskoye, Shirotnoye, Rakushechnoye and the 170th km. Their total reserves – proven and prospective – are estimated at one billion tonnes of conventional fuel.
Drilling, production and processing of oil at the Korchagin deposit have been carried out from the LSP-1 stationary platform since 2009. At drilling sites, zero waste technology is being used – waste is not dumped into the sea, but put into closed containers and taken ashore for deactivation and disposal.
Special attention is being paid to the protection of oil and gas facilities against illegal action.
In line with the President’s instructions of February 14, 2012 (No. Pr-352) and August 9, 2012 (No. Pr-2101), the Government is elaborating legislation to ensure the security of fuel and energy facilities following the adoption of the Federal Law on Security of Fuel and Energy Facilities.
To implement the law’s provisions, the Government has adopted four resolutions and has prepared for signing its resolution endorsing the rules under which oil companies must report acts or threats of illegal interference at oil and energy facilities.
By its Resolution No. 1673-r of September 17, 2013, the Government has submitted to the State Duma a draft federal law on introducing amendments to Article 12 of the federal law On the Police, which charges the police with the implementation of oversight and supervisory functions in ensuring security at fuel and energy facilities.
By its Directive No. 364-r of March 18, 2013, the Government has submitted to the Duma a draft federal law on introducing amendments to several legal acts of the Russian Federation on establishing departmental security service at fuel and energy facilities. The document allows Gazprom and Transneft to establish their own security services and entitle corporate security employees to additional rights and responsibilities (the Duma adopted the draft law in the first reading).
The Ministry of the Interior, Transneft and the relevant federal executive bodies have implemented a package of organisational and practical measures to prevent illegal taps into oil mains and oil product pipelines.