Planet under Pressure

The Asian pogonia
The Japanese snipe
watercourse according to the local fish
species’ composition, category, and size;
topographic characteristics of the area;
the nature of the soil; floodplain; and
many other factors. Sakhalin Energy
carried out all construction work over
spawning rivers from December to April,
outside of the Pacific salmon migration
and spawning periods. The seven crossings
through the largest rivers were carried
out using the complicated method
of horizontal directional drilling.
Construction machines crossed the
wetlands on specially arranged temporary
roads. To prevent the development
of erosion on disturbed lands, the
company developed and implemented
complex engineering solutions such as
dissecting barriers and drainage ditches;
cascades; pits and catch screens; arranged
to precipitate suspended solids; as well
as prevent contaminated water and
demolished soil from entering undisturbed
areas and watercourses.
Ecosystem component recovery
Despite all the measures taken by
Sakhalin Energy, the large-scale construction
affected some of the ecosystems.
Their effective restoration required the
implementation of a whole range of
special rehabilitation measures. The
first stage comprised technical work to
restore the right-of-way. The company
removed the temporary access roads and
bridges, restored the natural profile of
the area, replaced the topsoil and root
system, ensured the formation of watercourse
banks and riverbeds, and installed
permanent bank protection structures.
The next stage was devoted to biological
restoration. The disturbed lands
were sown with grass – manually and
mechanically, including hydroseeding,
which is the most effective technology
for controlling soil erosion.
Operation monitoring and
mitigation
Active environmental work did not stop
after the construction stage, when the
main project facilities had already been
completed. Sakhalin Energy uses mostly
natural gas – the cleanest type of fuel –
at all of its assets. Moreover, the OPF and
the Prigorodnoye production complex
operate turbines that produce lower
levels of nitrogen oxides. The company
has introduced the Continuous Improvement
Programme, under which measures
are developed and implemented
to optimize the operation of equipment,
reduce maintenance time, and minimize
leaks. All of the above helps to reduce the
amount of pollutants released into the
environment, increase energy efficiency,
and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
Air quality is continually monitored at
the border of the sanitary protection
zones. The performance of the treatment
facilities and the condition of the surface
and groundwater are also monitored on
an ongoing basis.
Another area where Sakhalin Energy
is paying special attention is biodiversity
conservation programmes. One of
the shining examples of this is a set of
measures that the company is taking on
the territories inhabited by eagles – the
installation of artificial roost sites to
make it easier for the birds to rest and
hunt; the protection of nests against
bears to prevent their destruction; the
imposition of restrictions on the speed
of vehicles and use of car horns; the
establishment of corridors and permissible
altitudes for helicopter flights.
Compliance and conservation
Sakhalin Energy has proved the effectiveness
of the above measures through
the results of industrial environmental
controls and biodiversity monitoring. The
results show there is no accumulation of
pollutants in the soils in the territories
around our facilities; the plant communities
and protected plant species
are in good condition (four protected
plant species were registered in the OPF
area, 36 protected plant species along
the pipeline route, and about 13 in the
territory adjacent to the Prigorodnoye
production complex); the natural communities
in the wetlands are recovering
at the predicted rate; we have not registered
any dangerous invasive species in
the pipeline right-of-way.
Using biological diversity and water
quality indicators, Sakhalin Energy has
confirmed that river ecosystems are in
stable condition. The structure of the
avifauna communities and populations
of protected bird species correspond to
baseline conditions; moreover, an expansion
of the habitat and population
growth have been observed for individual
species such as the Japanese snipe.
Summing up the practices mentioned here
and those outside the scope of this article,
Sakhalin Energy acknowledges that
the implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals is not only desirable,
but imperative. Having learned a lot about
the amazing biodiversity of Sakhalin,
the company understands that it is not
a host here, but a guest, and it operates
the Sakhalin-2 project accordingly.
Global Goals Yearbook 2020 139