Research of impact from pipelines
construction under the Sakhalin II project
Sakhalin Environment Watch
1. Overview of the Research● Lisitsyn Dmitry

inspections of Sakhalin II pipeline construction sites,
12 joint field checks together with Sakhalin state

In the end 2006 – beginning 2007 we have organizedbodies and more than ten 1-2-days trips on thean independent research of pipeline construction s

pipeline route in Dolinsk, Makarov, Smirnykh,

impact on the spawning rivers under the direction

Tymovsk and Nogliki districts.

of professor Efanov, who is also a doctor of biological

By results of repeated checks by regional offices ofscience.

public Prosecutor it is revealed more than 40

Research was conducted in the field conditions andinfringements of the nature protection legislation

has included sampling on about 30 rivers. By results

during the construction of the Sakhalin II pipeline inof research Efanov has prepared a report proving

Poronaisk, Smirnykh, Nogliki, Korsakov, Tymovsk

the size of damage to fish resources at a rate ofand Makarov districts. Sakhalin Energy and its

895,42 tons instead of 121,65 tons calculated bycontractors were incurred an administrative

Sakhalin Energy. In money terms the size ofpenalties on a total sum of 300 000 roubles (11 550

damage determined by the professor has madeUS dollars). Besides now in proceeding of the106,48 million US dollars, that almost in 10 times

Sakhalin Nature Protection Office of Publicmoreindemnifications

ofSakhalin Energy. The given
reportwasdirected

toAdministration of the Sakhalin
Region and Rosprirodnadzor for
acceptanceofdecisions

andthefurtheractions

onrecalculation of damage to fishstocks from the Sakhalin II

Sakhalin II project
1.6 million metric tonsof LNG a year for
US West Coast throughMexican Baja terminals
Contract between Bermuda's
SEIC (Shell, Mitsui, Mitsubishi)
and Singapore's Shell Eastern
Trading, Ltdproject and its presentation to
Sakhalin Energy for collecting.

Sakhalin II oil and gas reserves

End of work on recalculation ofdamage by the state bodies is

Sakhalin II LNG plant andexport terminal

postponed on an autumn 2007.
Since April 2006 till May 2007
we have conducted 14 public■ Sakhalin Environment Watch Lisitsyn Dmitry
http://www.sakhalin.environment.ru/en/● Theme of the research
Research of impact from pipelines construction under the Sakhalin II project on a number of modeling spawning
rivers. Calculation of pink salmon fry on a number of rivers, research of salmon spawning groundssilting level,
monitoring of construction work on the spawning rivers pipelines crossing in 2006.
● Grant Amount
JPY 500 000.00 / FY2005

40

高木基金助成報告集 Vol.4（2007）

It’s an upstream of wild salmon spawning river. Huge sediment’s contamination.
Salmon avoids this kind of waters.

May, 2004

Fresh trench recently appeared abovegas pipeline, buried two months ago .
Liquid mud just creeps down to the river.

Prosecutor there is a criminal case on thefact of infringement of the nature protection
legislation one of contractors.
Sakhalin Energy company has changed
project decisions on construction of thepipelines through active seismic faults through 4 faults the pipe will be laid by anelevated way that many years demandedby the public environment organizations.

Kp 348.5 Krinka river. Spread 3. May 11, 2007

2. Progressionof the Research
2.1. Damage recalculation of fishproductWe have continued attempts to organize theresearch and for this purpose at the end of April wehave agreed with Smirnykh Ichthyology Survey

April – May 2006 :Station of the Fish Service about conducting of trial

We have sent the letter to the State Fish Service

opening of spawning nests on several rivers on thewith the offer to conduct the control investigation ofcentral Sakhalin. However this attempt has

the salmon spawning grounds condition and toterminated in failure because of a plenty of snow

calculate salmon fry during migration on a number

and a powerful ice cover on the rivers - several daysof the rivers crossed by Sakhalin II project pipeline.

of work on clearings of the river channels andHowever the Fish Service has answered that suchsearches of the nests have not brought any result.

investigation is impossible because of insufficiency ofexperts as well as because it is impossible toJune – October 2006 :calculate salmon fry without conducting ofThen in June we have conducted the negotiations

preliminary research of definition of places withand made an agreement with independent expert,

spawning nests.

doctor of biological science, professor Valeriy Efanov
Sakhalin Environment Watch41

regarding conducting of the research ofsalmon

spawning grounds conditions, their silting level2.2. Public inspection of pipeline
construction site(already after thawing of ice on the rivers) andpreliminary recalculation of damage to fish stocks

Since April 2006 till May 2007 we have conducted 14

from construction of the pipeline. At last thispublicresearch was carried out on a number of the rivers

construction sites, 12 joint field checks together within the period August - September. The commission

Sakhalin state bodies and more than ten 1-2-daysof experts surveyed 27 rivers : Travyanaya,trips on the pipeline route in Dolinsk, Makarov,

Pugachevka, Tikhaya, Manuy, Baklanovka, Aidar,

Smirnykh, Tymovsk and Nogliki districts. TheDudinka, Chernaya, Firsovka, Kirpichnaya, Bolshaya

results are follows.

inspectionsofSakhalin

IIpipeline

Podlesnaya, Malaya Podlesnaya, Ai, Bolshoi Takoy,
Vostochnaya, Lazovaya, Lesnaya, Makarova,

April – November 2006 :Gornaya, Markovka, Turovka, Nitui, Goryanka,

In April we have conducted a joint field check

Gastelovka, Malakhitovka, Vulkanka, Rudnaya

together with Sakhalin Department of the Federal(Dolinskiy, Makarovskiy and Poronaiskiy Districts).

Service on Technological and Ecological Control.

All these rivers are large on the Sakhalin scales andDuring the check the following infringements were

have a huge value as the habitat and reproduction

revealed:

places of the Pacific salmons. Students of the- An illegal storehouse of barrels with ethylene

Sakhalin State University participated in field works

glycol, belonging to Svarochno-Montazhnyi Trest.

and processing of the collected material as well.

Ethylene Glycol (antifreeze) is a dangerous
substance used for hydrotests of the pipeline. Its hit

The research has revealed that pollution of thein an environment is fraught with serious

spawning rivers waters by the suspended solids

consequences for nature and the people. Using of

and, as consequence, silting of the spawning

the ethylene glycol was not stipulated by thegrounds, are distributed much further downstream

project documentation of the TEO-C which has

rather than it was accepted in Sakhalin II project

received the positive conclusion of the State

EIA and was used for calculation of the damage toEcological Expertise ;the fish stocks. Research also has shown that- Non-reclamate mud storages located in water-

restoration of an initial condition of the river banks

protection zone of the Firsovka River, in the zone ofin the line of the pipeline right-of-way occurs muchflooding by flood waters. Drill Tec Company,

longer than three years accepted in EIA andconducting horizontal drilling under the river for adamage calculation. Accordingly, washout of alining of the pipeline, has undertaken to reclamate

ground from the Sakhalin II pipeline route right-of-

the mud storages prior to the beginning of a flood

way will occur much longer than 3 years, thatseason. However thawing of snow already began,considerably extends term of the impact andand waste in the majority are not removed yet;increases the damage to fish stocks. Besides- A number of the re-routings of the pipeline not

Sakhalin Energy at calculation of the damage didpassed through the State Ecological Expertise.

not take into account influence from construction of
the access roads and numerous temporary bridges

During pipeline field check in May 2006 thethrough the rivers.

Energy company. Common size of compensation offollowing facts were revealed:- The Firsovka River: during rising of water in theriver because of the spring flood, there was a
washout of walls of one of the mud storage and thepart of the drilling waste has got into the river
being a reservoir of the highest fishery category.
Though Drill Tec Company was obliged to liquidate
the mud storages illegally placed in water-protection
zone of the river in proper time (prior to thebeginning of flood).

fish damage for all rivers professor Efanov has- The Pugachevka River: the contractor – StarStroyroughly determined in 106,48 million dollars.

Company has exceeded the right-of-way bounds andBased on the data collected during the researchprofessor Efanov has executed detailed recalculationof damage for crossing through the spawning RiverAi in Dolinskiy District. The size of the actual
damage has made 895,42 tons of fish products
instead of 121,65 tons calculated by the Sakhalin

construction work (in particular, ploughing up the42

高木基金助成報告集 Vol.4（2007）

grounds, movement of the heavy vehicle) werebarrels with ethylene glycol in Pugachevo ;carried out within the strip in width about 200- A flowing of a dirty from the route beyond of themeters instead of the approved 43 meters. Besides

right-of-way;of the damage of forest vegetation, influence from- Absence of the bridges through the rivers andover permitted pollution by the suspended solids

driving of vehicle directly on streams channel;

was rendered on the Pugachevka River.

- Logjams on some rivers formed because of the- Also during the check it was revealed that

washout of the not removed bridges rests.

StarStroy Company has delivered a plenty of barrels

Also huge earth deposits outside of the pipeline

with ethylene glycol in Pugachevo village. But

right-of-way were found out. The deposits were not

StarStroy and its contractor do not have any

approved by the appropriate state bodies. On somepermissions

rivers works are conducted near to a water-current,

for storage and use of the ethylene

glycol during the hydrotests of the pipelines. The

however silt fences are absent.

place of warehousing of the barrels with ethylene
glycol is not equipped in appropriate way, the part

December 2006 – May 2007of the barrels are deformed, in some barrels theDuring the inspections in December the following

walls are punched and ethylene glycol are flow out

violations were revealed:from the holes.

- the soil is stored in water-protection zones of therivers (rivers : Makarova, Madera, Lesnaya, Pulka,

On results of the check we has applied to NatureKrinka);

Protection Prosecutor and Sakhalin Department of- the heavy vehicles (lorries, bulldozers, refueller)

Federal Service on Supervision in sphere of Naturesettles down in a water-protection zone of the rivers

Using (Rosprirodnadzor) with appeal about violations(Makarove River);of the nature protection legislation during a lining of- protective fences have a formal character or are

pipelines. During repeated check of Rosprirodnadzorabsent completely (rivers : Sosnovka, Solyanka,

the facts revealed by us basically were confirmedPegas, Madera);and StarStroy Company was fined on 33 thousand- the soil is stored beyond of the borders of right-of-

rubles (970 euros) in total.

way on the grounds of forest fund without legal
permissions (rivers: Lazovaya, Krinka);

In June – November 2006 we have conducted own 7- works on construction of oil pipeline carried out onfield inspections of different segments of the pipeline

the landslide slope (river Zagrobka);route. We also participated in more than 9- the mudslide-admission on Pulka river is notinspections conducted by Rosprirodnadzor. During

equipped that has resulted in infringement of athe checks the following typical violations werehydrological mode of the river and formation ofrevealed:potential mudslide massive ;- antierosion and antilandslides actions are not- An inefficiency of antierosion measures and as

executed (PK 402-403 ; 347,9).

consequence the washout of the rivers banks,intensive pollution of the watercourses by theBy results of check the general contractor ofsuspended solids;

Sakhalin Energy – Starstroy was penalized by court- Obstruction of the rivers by washed off bank-on sum of 10 thousand roubles (385 US dollars).

protecting material (a plastic net, Reno mattresses).
It represents the big problem for fish going on

In January 2007 we have conducted two inspectionsspawning;and one check in Makarov and Smirnykh districts- The bridge remains in the rivers constricting theand have revealed some new infringements:

river channel and capable to result in formation of a- deformation of already buried pipe - pig started up

logjam and in changing of the river channel in theon a pipe for check on deformation and integrity offuture ;welded seams has got stuck in the pipeline and the- Huge hollow of the ground on the slope near thesegment of a pipe was necessary to dig out, extract

Krinka River that can result in formation of thesection where has got stuck the pig and to weld alandslips and the subsequent pollution of the river,new piece of a pipe. The reasons of deformation are- Carelessly equipped warehouse for storage of theunknown for us, however that it has taken place theSakhalin Environment Watch

43

Land slides moved down to the riverafter pipeline construction

Kp 348.5 Krinka river. Spread 3. May 11, 2007

Land slides moved to the river

River is washing away the bulk of mud,
moved to the river channel

El'nya river crossing, Smirnykh district, KP 228, March 22, 2006

1) Place of the river crossing3) 1,800 m downstream. The content ofsuspended solids is still extreamely high44

高木基金助成報告集 Vol.4（2007）

2) 100 m downstream

4) Just 2,500 m downstream the water isgetting cleaner

Shell's promises for Sakhalin at the beginning and realties
Labor and salaries for local people
Realities: mostly foreigners and homeland Russians
Significant income for regional and local budget
Realities: Moscow gets around 90% profits, very few on the local level
Gasification of local infrastructure
Realities: No any gasification at all
Increase of housing for local population
Realities: Unbelievable increase of housing prices, company constructs houses for
temporary workers only
Implementation of best standards and practices
Realities: in many fundamental aspects the implemented standards lower thanRussians
To be a good and friendly neighbor for a local community
Realities: Shell lies, conceals facts and misleads the public, destroys local
infrastructure, creates significant social impact without appropriate mitigation
To listen people's concerns
Realities: Brain washing, creation of "right perception", manipulation of media,
domestication of local NGOs and active groups of citizen society

next year after burring a pipe very much worry.

be taken into account during the preparation of- on the several rivers in Makarov district wereactual calculation of ecological damage from thefound out a big ice mound because of wrong

Sakhalin II project. On Rosprirodnadzor information

construction of bridges. In result in headwaters of

the work on recalculation of damage will be

the river all water accumulated as ice mound andcompleted not earlier an autumn of 2007. We closely

lower on current from bridges the channel of thecooperate with the state bodies on this question andrivers were dry.

we render the feasible help.

In March and April we have conducted additional

Sakhalin Energy has improved practice of pipeline

checks of the rivers where ice mounds were foundconstruction in many respects and has put in orderout in January and have revealed that the waterplaces of crossing with the pipeline on many rivers:

which has been saved up during winter in ice

antierosion actions are executed, silt fences aremounds higher than bridges on the pipeline route isestablished, the rests of bridges are removed,

actively washes away embankments of bridges andparking of engineering in water-protection zones

water-carrying pipes pulling down significant

and driving on channels are not supposed. Places ofweights of a dirty in channels of the rivers lower onbarrels storage with ethyleneglycol are equippedthe current.

according to rules and standarts. In the spring thecompany began to take out ethyleneglycol from the

By results of the conducted checks we haveIsland. The company began to apply considerably

prepared several photo - presentations and sent

best bridge transitions than it was earlier. If earlier

them to the international financial institutions andbridges consist simply of a timbered floor covered

also the detailed letter to Sakhalin administration

by ground then now bridges are building from thewas made. Now we are preparing the detailed

metal pipes with the concrete plates stacked above.

generalizing report by results of the conducted

In result influence on the rivers from construction

checks of the pipeline in the first half-year 2007.

and uses of such bridges are much lower.

3. Outcome of the Research

In September Rosprirodnadzor has obliged Sakhalin
Energy to suspend all construction work on

Calculation of damage to the rivers of professor

mudslides and landslides sites in Dolinsk andEfanov was directed to Rosprirodnadzor and it will

Makarov districts until development of individual
Sakhalin Environment Watch45

project decisions on pipeline crossings through thesesites and conducting of the State Ecological

4. Perspective after theResearchExpertise on them. Sakhalin Energy has stopped
works and has conducted work on elimination of theDespite of the fact that our research is officiallyrevealed violations.

completed nevertheless we will continue the work in
the given direction. We have used our best efforts -In December 12 licenses for water-using were

have organized preparation of independent realsuspended for one month that has induced thecalculation of damage to the rivers caused during

company

thethe pipeline construction and have presented theinfringements revealed by the state bodies during

given report to the state bodies. According to thepipeline construction through the rivers.

Russian legislation presentation of the damage tomore

operatively

eliminatethe company should be made by the appropriate
According to Sakhalin Regional Office of Publicstate body. Unfortunately, Rosprirodnadzor which isProsecutor during autumn checks by district Offices

authorized to do it works more slowly than weof Public Prosecutor it is revealed more than 40

would like. Terms of the damage recalculation,

violations of the nature protection legislation inreception of the final report from experts andPoronaisk, Smirnykh, Nogliki, Dolinsk, Korsakov,

presentation of the new damage to Sakhalin Energy

Tymovsk, Makarov districts. In connection with theis postponed already on an autumn 2007. There arerevealed violations of the nature protection

fears that this term will be postponed farther inlegislation by district public prosecutors it isconnection with Gazprom entry to the project.

brought 12 decisions about initiation of the cases on

Nevertheless we hold this question on the control,

administrative unlaws by results of whichconstantly cooperate with Rosprirodnadzor andconsideration 11 companies and 1 physical person

Administration of the Sakhalin Region and advanceare involved in the administrative responsibility asthe fastest decision of a problem on preparation ofpenalties on a total sum of 300 000 roubles (11 550

the damage recalculation.

US dollars). Besides now in the proceeding of theSakhalin nature protection Office of Public

Concerning to public control over the Sakhalin II

Prosecutor there is a criminal case on the fact ofpipeline construction then we continue regular

infringement of the nature protection legislation bychecks and operatively try to transfer theSvarochno-Montazhny Trust Ltd (contractor ofinformation on the revealed infringements to theSakhalin Energy).

state bodies.

Sakhalin Energy has changed project decisions on

We would like to thank Takagi Fund for theconstruction of pipeline through the active seismic

support of our project! We are sure that our work

faults - through 4 faults the pipe will be laid by anwith your support will help to make the Sakhalin II

elevated way that environmental NGOs demanded

project more safe for an environment and themany years .

population of our Island.

46

高木基金助成報告集 Vol.4（2007）