Green economy: what changes can Yamal citizens expect from new Gazpromneft’s industrial projects?

In 2014 Yamal-Nenets government signed a memorandum with Gazpromneft on ensuring environmental safety. Since then the company has been strictly adhering to the rules of "green economy", which allows it to preserve the traditional lifestyle of the indigenous northerners in the context of intensive industrial development of the Arctic. What changes for the better can Yamal citizens expect from new industrial projects in the region? Pavel Razuvaev will share in this episode.

At Sobsky fish hatchery new broad whitefish is given life from roe that has been collected in a local river for the first time. It is the best evidence of the effectiveness of compensatory measures taken by oil and gas companies to restore aquatic biological resources. Within the last two years Gazpromneft Yamal has let go 17 million of fries into the Ob-Irtysh river basins. The plan for 2019 is 7 million. Prospects of a long-term partnership between Gazpromneft subsidiary and the only fish hatchery in Yamal were discussed at a working meeting by Yamal’s Governor Dmitry Artyukhov and the first deputy general director of Gazpromneft Vadim Yakovlev.

“The yield of what we let go is about 70-80 percent. This is a very good result,” says Danil Eltekov, the general director of Sobsky fish hatchery.

Today the time has come to clarify mutual obligations on the Arctic nature conservation and further work of oil and gas companies in Yamal. For example, in the next five years Gazpromneft is planning to invest about 400 billion roubles in Novoportovskoye field and other associated projects. This also means that every year such fish hatcheries will have the opportunity to let go more and more valuable fries of muksun, peled and broad whitefish into the Ob river.

The questions of the company’s interaction with the Yamal-Nenets government stipulated by a bilateral cooperation agreement were discussed at the working meeting in Salekhard. While developing large-scale oil and gas projects in the region, the company invests in the construction of socially important facilities. Gazpromneft’s Social Investment Program has helped to significantly expand sports infrastructure.

“Today residents of our cities - Noyabrsk, Muravlenko, Tarko-Sale - can go to new swimming pools, new hockey centres, and other sports facilities. These sports facilities have become key community centres in our municipalities,” says Dmitry Artyukhov, Yamal’s Governor.

In the long run Yamal will become the main territory for Gazpromneft’s production activity. Novoportovskoye and East Messoyakha fields are among the big projects of the company. In 2018 the production of oil at Novoportovskoe field is forecasted to increase by 20% as compared to the previous year. The designed capacity of 8 million tonnes of crude oil per year will be reached after 2019.

“For us, Novy Port is, indeed, the main platform for the development, not only on a regional scale, but also for the company as a whole. This is our largest project. Here we try out and implement solutions that are unique in terms of complexity, as well as infrastructural solutions: both technological projects and organizational forms. The volumes are growing,” says Vadim Yakovlev, Gazpromneft's first deputy general director.

Another important Gazpromneft’s social initiative was announced at the meeting - construction of a gas supply system in the village of Novy Port. Residential and social facilities of the settlement will be provided with heating. The project is scheduled for 2022.