YARYGIN G.A. RAVIKOVICH V.I., SAMOYLOV O.YU., MASLOBOYEV V.A., SHAVYKIN A.A.
ZAO "Scientific Production Company "DIEM", Russia,
Institute of Industrial Ecology Problems of the North, RAS, Russia,
MurmansK Marine Biological Institute RAS, Russia

Engineering ecological surveying of natural gas liquefaction (LPG) plant construction site is carried out with the objective to assess the current state of the components of environment in plant location area.

The assessment of the baseline state of the components of environment that has developed under existing anthropogenous impact will provide a possibility to work out adequate environment-friendly engineering solutions during plant project designing, construction, and operation aimed at minimizing the adverse environmental consequences of plant construction and operation; also, it will provide the basis for creating industrial environmental monitoring system.

Engineering ecological surveys are carried out using the general Program for Engineering Surveys confirmed by the Clients - ОАО GiproSpetsGaz and Statoil.

Onshore engineering ecological surveying contractors are ZAO NPF DIEM (Moscow) and the Institute of Industrial Ecology Problems of the North (Apatity, Murmansk Oblast). Offshore surveys in Ura-Guba Estuary are carried out by the Murmansk Marine Biology Institute (MMBI, Murmansk).
General technical requirements for the scope of work performed during engineering ecological surveys are formulated in official guidelines currently in effect.

The main objectives of surveying are as follows:

• Assessment of the current ecological state of the components of environment, recognition of the possible natural component pollution sources and pollution types, recognition of environmental restrictions for onshore and offshore area use, and elaboration of recommendations for the prevention, minimization, or elimination of adverse or undesired ecological consequences that may arise during project construction and operation;

• Acquisition of basic data in sufficient amounts for preparing Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environment Protection (EP) sections in Plant Construction Project Design in compliance with the Guide to SNiP (Building Norms and Regulations) 11-01-95 for Compiling Environment Protection Section in Project Design Documentation, Moscow, 2000.

• Acquisition of basic data in sufficient amounts for preparing the Industrial Environmental Monitoring Systems project design.
Project construction site is located on the left bank of the Ura-Guba Estuary of the Barents Sea. The nearest population center, Vidyayevo Village, is located south-west of LPG plant construction site. The distance from the conventional center of project construction site to the nearest settlement zone is 2.4-2.6 km.

The specific features of construction site are the difficult natural, climatic, topographic, and geologic conditions of location area; the presence of the territories, objects, and communications of the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of the Interior, and the Federal Security Survey of RF; and the presence of restricted nature management areas (water protection zones, valuable and protected fish species breeding areas etc.).

The engineering-ecological survey area in the zone of influence of the planned LPG plant is located within the most probable boundary of possible anthropogenic pollution related to construction impact and covers 70 sq. km. Detailed offshore surveys in the Ura Guba Estuary are planned from the shoreline to the -25 m isobath in compliance with the approved Program.

As required by SNiP 11-02-96 and recommended by SP 11-102-97, engineering-ecological surveys include pre-field work; field work; data processing, unification, and analysis; and report compilation.

Pre-field phase was completed by October 2006: special archival materials and official information of environment protection institutions and organizations were collected, unified, and analyzed, and cartographic support was created: remote sensing data for the study area were obtained and processed, base maps for field work were compiled, and the pre-field ecologic interpretation of satellite images was carried out. Based on the results of pre-field work, detailed surveying areas were established, survey routes were drawn, and mining working and sampling site locations were determined.

As requested by ОАО GiproSpetsGaz and Statoil, first-priority field work was the radiation surveying of LPG construction site and driveway route. Radiation surveys are virtually completed. Preliminary data attest to the absence of anthropogenic anomalies.
For the first time in Russian engineering-ecological surveying practice, investigations related to the ecologo-economic assessment of current situation in LPG plant location area are supplemented by a block related to public-opinion poll in the Vidyayevo and Ura-Guba villages.

OIL AND GAS OF ARCTIC SHELF 2006 (PROCEEDINGS OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE)

Unpublished articles