Sakhalin II: Oil, Environmentalists and Whales

Sakhalin II is the name given to the second, in a series of hydrocarbon development projects on Sakhalin Island, situated just east of the Russian mainland and north of Hokkaido, Japan's second largest island. Today's standards measure it as the largest such project in the world.

The project has been in development since 1994, when a group of foreign companies, headed by Royal Dutch Shell, signed a Production Sharing Agreement with the Russian government. In addition to drilling for oil and natural gas along the coastal regions of the island, a series of pipelines have been constructed (or planned) to aid delivery. The longest pipeline system runs about five hundred miles north to south along the island.

As described, Sakhalin II sounds like anything but music to an environmentalist's ears. In fact, a variety of local and international environmental groups challenged it from day one. Their concerns were separate but interrelated. Some of the drilling areas and proposed pipeline routes share a habitat with the endangered Western Gray Whale. The north-south pipeline crosses roughly a thousand rivers and streams supporting wild salmon.

Dredging for the construction of a natural gas facility harmed local fisheries. The list goes on. Please see Pacific Environment on Sakhalin II and WWF on Sakhalin for more specific information on their campaigns.

In six short months, environmentalists have seen their Sakhalin II world turn upside down. In a series of legal maneuvers that will need a few years, and the analysis of a multitude of international legal experts to digest, Gazprom, the Russian state owned oil and gas company, assumed majority control of the project. Lack of sufficient attention to environmental issues by the Royal Dutch Shell group, served as one of the Russian government's talking points during the six month transition period.

Equally as surprising, those same six months have seen Sakhalin Energy sign an agreement with the World Conservation Union (IUCN) to bring their whale conservation expertise to the project. The situation may also be looking up for Sakhalin salmon. When the dust settles from the transition, the Wild Salmon Center is well prepared to help with restoration, having already set up a Sakhalin Salmon Initiative (SSI).

These past six months may seem like time flying for environmentalists on a roll. Only time will tell if Russian oil and environmentalists really do mix.

© 2007. Patricia A. Michaels