Rosneft Oil Company enterprises—Angarsk Petrochemical Company, Syzran Refinery, Kuibyshev Refinery, Novokuibyshevsk Refinery and Samotlorneftegaz—have become the winners of the 18th National Environmental Leader of Russia Contest 2022. Their victory in the prestigious environmental competition confirms the effectiveness of environmental protection measures implemented at the Company’s enterprises and demonstrates recognition of their achievements at the expert level.

Preservation of the environment for future generations is an integral part of the corporate culture of Rosneft. The Company aims to achieve leadership positions in minimising the environmental impact and ensuring the eco-friendliness of its production.

Angarsk Petrochemical Company is implementing measures to reduce energy consumption and emissions into the environment as part of its carbon management programme. These measures will reduce fuel consumption by 40,300 tonnes per year and heat consumption by more than 377,000 GCal per year. By the end of 2021, emissions to the atmosphere were reduced by 15%.

A priority area of Angarsk Petrochemical Company’s environmental programme is the sustainable use of water resources. The enterprise’s wastewater treatment plant treats all wastewater from the city of Angarsk and its industrial facilities. The wastewater is treated mechanically, biologically, with supplementary pre-treatment and ultraviolet disinfection.

Over the past few years, Kuibyshev Refinery has reduced its atmospheric impact by 2.5 times by converting refinery units to natural gas, commissioning new units and replacing obsolete equipment, installing leak-proof pontoons in tanks and taking other environmental measures.

Kuibyshev Refinery has reduced water intake from natural sources by 20% by rebuilding the water pipeline, recirculating water units and increasing the share of recycled water in the technological process.

The enterprise is reconstructing its wastewater treatment plant, which will use membrane bioreactor technology to purify water as thoroughly as possible.

Air and wastewater laboratories, three stationary units and a mobile station monitor the environment around the clock. The high-tech equipment can perform about 20,000 atmospheric air analyses a month. The data is shown on a monitor at one of Samara’s main interchanges.

Novokuibyshevsk Refinery is implementing a comprehensive environmental programme, with priorities in reducing atmospheric emissions, increasing the efficiency of treatment facilities and recycling water supply units, waste management, and reducing the impact on soils. Over the past 10 years, the refinery has reduced its negative impact on the environment by 40%. This includes a 26% reduction in atmospheric emissions, a 40% reduction in sewage and a 45% reduction in waste generation over the past five years.

Novokuibyshevsk Refinery is actively engaging schoolchildren and students in environmental activities, and has signed an agreement with Samara State Technical University to encourage environmental volunteering. More than 10 joint environmental events have been organised. In addition, the refinery supported a large-scale landscaping of four public gardens in densely populated neighbourhoods of the city of Novokuibyshevsk.

Samotlorneftegaz is the winner in the category “Best Environmentally Responsible Company in Oil and Gas Production”. The enterprise’s total investment in remediation of historical heritage land accumulated during the Soviet period has amounted to some 4 billion roubles over seven years. During this period, the enterprise has remediated more than 1,500 hectares of previously damaged land. The pitless drilling method, which eliminates the waste-storage phase, significantly reduces the impact on the environment.

Over the past five years, Samotlorneftegaz has released more than 11 million fry of valuable fish species into the waters of northern rivers. The enterprise supports the regional Siberian sturgeon conservation programme of the Ecology national project, with some 1.3 million fry of valuable fish species released into Siberian water bodies in 2022.

Samotlorneftegaz is also implementing a project to restore taiga forests. One of the most recent environmental events in this regard has been the planting of 350,000 Siberian cedar and pine trees in the Nizhnevartovsk District.

At Syzran Refinery, the construction of new processing units goes hand in hand with the development of environmental facilities, including the renovation of a biological wastewater treatment plant. In 2022, the installation of aeration system equipment has commenced at the site. The upgrade will introduce membrane bioreactor technology, combining the advantages of the biological and ultrafiltration processes, which will ensure that the wastewater is treated thoroughly for both organic and mineral pollutants with 99% efficiency.

The enterprise is upgrading its block water supply systems. Over the past four years, Syzran Refinery has reduced its intake of Volga water by 12%, the level of recycled water use at the facility has reached almost 95%, and discharges of pollutants into the water body have decreased by 13%. In order to reduce atmospheric emissions, the plant’s processing units have been converted from liquid fuel to natural gas; work is underway to equip the tanks with leak-proof pontoons. By the end of 2021, Syzran Refinery allocated over 1.8 billion roubles to environmental protection activities.

All Rosneft’s enterprises are extensively implementing elements of the green office system, including electronic document management and separate waste collection. Work is underway to replenish aquatic bioresources. Under the corporate volunteering programme, employees of the enterprises teach environmental lessons in schools and colleges.

Employees of the Company’s subsidiaries are active participants in the national environmental campaigns, such as Cedars of Russia, Water of Russia, Green Spring, and Earth Hour. In 2022, more than 15,000 employees of Rosneft enterprises cleaned the riverbanks in 44 regions of the Company’s operations as part of the Water of Russia campaign. Over the five months of the campaign, a total of more than 180 cubic metres of litter has been collected. The sorted plastic is sent for recycling.

In addition to participating in federal campaigns, Rosneft’s subsidiaries carry out activities to conserve important natural sites in the regions of operation.

Rosneft’s Samara enterprises are involved in the Samara Region’s Springs project. An entire range of natural springs have been cleaned up with the support of Samaraneftegaz, Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, Kuibyshev Refinery, Syzran Refinery, Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company and Novokuibyshevsk Oils and Additives Plant.

Employees of Angarsk Petrochemical Company take part in cleaning the coastal zone of Lake Baikal. In 2021, they cleaned an area of 60,000 m² and removed about 240 kg of litter.

Rosneft
Information Division
December 1, 2022

Keywords: Environmental news 2022