Caspian Sea: State of the Environment 2019

4.2. Mineral extraction Like the sea itself, the territories which border the Caspian possess significant reserves of a wide variety of economically useful resources, the most popular of which are currently oil and gas. The oil and gas sector devotes particular atten- tion to sound management practices, including operational standards and safety measures. Nev- ertheless, in view of the investment in existing and future oil and gas projects, the increase in the transportation of oil resources and associat- ed petroleum products remains a concern due to the potential environmental risks. Natural factors also increase the risk posed by oil and gas production and transportation in the Cas- pian Sea. These factors can include strong winds, icy conditions in the Northern Caspian, changes in sea level, extreme waves, coastal flooding and earthquakes (Zhiltsov et al. 2016). Additional challenges include difficult weather conditions, high-pressure reservoirs, problems with bore- hole instability, unstable bottom sediments and the risks of drilling in shallow waters (SoE 2011). There are also significant risks and problems asso- ciated with human activities, such as accidents on tankers or oil platforms, damage to offshore pipe- lines, failure to comply with rules and regulations on equipment construction, repair or manufac- ture and the potential for mistakes by operational and maintenance personnel (Zhiltsov et al. 2016). Uncontrolled oil and gas wells (open gushers), where oil, gas and gas condensate burst up to the surface, at sea or on land, for long periods of time (from several days to months) cause particularly significant damage. This is the most serious inci- dent that can occur during exploration drilling for oil (Figure 4.1). The Caspian Sea has already been contami- nated by the oil and gas industry and activities such as drilling, maintenance of drilling rigs, oil transportation, and oil and gas blowouts during drilling operations continue to cause further degradation. In addition to accidental spills, pro- cessing, transportation and other sectors also increase the pressure on the environment by pol- luting the water and air.

A comparison of oil and gas transportation methods shows pipelines to be the most econom- ically profitable, despite the significant risks asso- ciated with their construction and operation. The potential for pipeline construction to harm land and water resources and result in the loss of his- torical sites and monuments, reserves and pro- tected areas must be taken into account (Zhiltsov et al. 2016). Abandoned wells represent another potential threat to the environment. During implementa- tion of the Strategic Plan of the Ministry of In- dustry and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 1,900 wells were surveyed within the Kazakhstan sector of the Caspian Sea in the 1990s. All of the wells were inventoried and a cadastre was com- piled. As a result of the survey, 110 wells in a crit- ical state were identified, including 89 in Atyrau Region and 21 in Mangystau Region. An action plan to close down these wells was drawn up.

Atyrau

Karabatan

Dormant wells 2004 2006

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

Astrakhan

Kashagan oil and gas field

"General Shikhlinsky" 2002

"Gregory Bugrov" 2010

Aktau

Makhachkala

"Islam Safarly" 2001

CASPIAN SEA

Baku-Makhachkala- Novorossiysk

"Mercury-2" 2002

Rubas river

2008

Gunashli 2015

Sumgayit

AZERBAljAN

Baku

Turkmenbashi

ACG oil fields

TURKMENISTAN

Garagol

"Elena" 2000

Bandar Anzali

IRAN

Rasht

0

100 km

Sari

Pipeline explosion Fire on an oil platform Oil leak from well

Shipwreck Loading of tanker Tanker explosion

Oil fields Oil refinery Oil shipping route Pipeline

ACG - Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli Sources: Caspian Barrel, 2015; EIA, 2013; Neftegaz.Ru, 2003; NTV, 2006; Polit.ru, 2008; Tumba.kz, 2015; Zatyagalova et al., 2007; Zonn et al., 2016.

Map by Manana Kurtubadze, GRID-Arendal, April 2018.

Figure 4.1: Oil spill accidents since 2000

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