Marina Nikolaevna Kruk

Onshore hydrocarbon reserves are becoming less significant every day due to their depletion and the increasing complexity of extraction. In this regard, more and more attention is being paid to offshore projects, which are becoming a key area of oil and gas industry development. Despite the complexities of offshore hydrocarbon field development, including high costs, environmental risks and technological chal-lenges, oil and gas companies continue to actively invest in the development of offshore extraction tech-niques and technologies. All stages of offshore field development involve a number of risks, such as harsh climatic conditions, technical accidents and environmental threats. Experts are trying to identify the most effective options for development, further field exploitation and the design of production gathering and processing systems. This is especially true in northern regions, where the harsh climate and remoteness of infrastructure require a special approach. In such conditions, the probability of error should be minimized, which is why it is essential to analyze the potential risks of a shelf development project. This paper presents an assessment of existing global practices for evaluating and identifying the risks faced by oil and gas companies when selecting onshore and offshore field development projects.

In the context of the global energy transition and a strengthening climate agenda, this study provides a comparative assessment of sustainable development strategies adopted by leading national oil and gas companies in China and Russia, focusing on their contribution to decarbonisation and SDG 7 and SDG 13. The study combines content analysis of corporate ESG reporting with a quantitative assessment of key environmental indicators. The analysis covers Gazprom, Rosneft, Lukoil, Novatek and Tatneft (Russia), and CNPC (PetroChina), Sinopec and CNOOC (China) over 2020–2024. The quantitative assessment includes Scope 1–2 greenhouse gas emissions, emissions intensity per unit of energy produced, operational energy consumption, renewable energy share, water intensity and green capital expenditures. The results reveal differences in national adaptation models: Chinese companies follow a centralised, state-driven approach integrated into strategic planning and five-year programmes, while Russian companies demonstrate a more fragmented, corporate-oriented model focused on technological modernisation. The strongest divergence is observed in governance integration and low-carbon investment structures, while emissions intensity trends remain gradual in both cases. Based on these findings, recommendations are proposed to strengthen sustainability and climate governance in Russian and Chinese oil and gas companies. The findings rely on self-reported ESG data, which involve differences in reporting boundaries and calculation methodologies.

The environmental crisis and the accelerated depletion of natural resources require strategies that balance economic growth and environmental protection in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. In this context, the mining industry, despite playing an important role in economic development, has significant negative impacts. The application of sustainable practices helps to mitigate these impacts. This study evaluates the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures applied in the abandoned mine of Punta Gorda, Cuba, using an integrated system of socio-environmental and economic indicators. The methodology, based on a procedure for socio-environmental and economic management in mine rehabilitation, comprises six stages and fourteen steps, including the valuation of ecosystem goods and services, economic valuation, and monitoring of rehabilitation results. Key results show a 5.95% improvement in economic efficiency in 2023, partial recovery of the ecosystem after rehabilitation, and improved health of mine workers. The study emphasizes the importance of multidimensional assessment tools to align mine rehabilitation with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11, and highlights the role of corporate social responsibility in improving the well-being of the mining community. The proposed framework provides a replicable model for sustainable mine rehabilitation, emphasizing the integration of economic, social, and environmental indicators.

Marina N. KRUK Ph.D. (Economics), Associate Professor Associate Professor of the Department of organization and management Faculty of Economics Saint Petersburg Mining University 2 21st Line Str., Saint Petersburg, 199106, Russia Kruk_MN@pers.spmi.ru Anni Yu. NIKULINA Ph.D. (Economics) Associate Professor of the Department of Organization and Management Faculty of Economics

The work substantiates a technical solution for improving the working conditions for the thermal factor in the extraction of oil by the thermoshaft method using the mine refrigeration technology. The review of manufacturers and technical characteristics of refrigeration technology in Russia, CIS countries and Western Europe was conducted. For the selected set, the economic efficiency of the project was assessed and a conclusion was made about the feasibility of implementing this project solution. It was shown that the use of a water cooling machine in the mine air conditioning system will reduce the air temperature in the oil production gallery to the required values and will allow to abandon the long-term construction of a surface stationary refrigeration station. Normalization of the thermal regime reduces the costs of benefits and compensation for work in harmful labor conditions and improves the quality of service of production wells by operators. The project for the introduction of air conditioning has a high level of profitability, and its payoff will occur in the second year of operation.

Thermal conditions in petroleum tanks are important for maintaining optimal sanitary and hygienic standards, which contribute to increasing the working capacity of people. Therefore, the set problems are of great importance for research. The main goal of the work is to study the influence of environmental technologies on the economic component. To achieve this goal, the authors substantiated design solutions for the use of refrigeration equipment to improve and normalize thermal conditions in drilling galleries in the extraction of oil by underground. It is established that the main increase in air temperature is observed in the drilling gallery and on the outgoing air jet in the slope. According to the results of thermal surveys, it is determined that the cooling demand of the drilling gallery, provided that the air temperature at the end of the slope does not exceed 35.0°C, is about 1000 kW. It is established that the use of environmental technologies contributes to the improvement of working conditions. And also has a high level of profitability and payback.

A comparative analysis is carried out on the programs of corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the largest mineral- and raw-materials-processing metallurgical companies operating in the Arctic region, such as PJSC "Norilsk Nickel MMC" and PJSC "Severstal". The diagnosing methodology of the internal and external trends in the development of CSR, developed by Dambovskaya A. A., was selected to conduct the analysis. The following results were obtained according to the criteria (PJSC "Norilsk Nickel MMC" /PJSC "Severstal"): for remuneration and motivation it is 4/3; for professional training, development and adaptation of staff it is 3/1; for labor protection it is 3/3; for social programs and social infrastructure it is 3/2; for implementation of charitable programs it is 4/2; for the realization of sponsorship programs it is 4/3; for the development of the region's infrastructure it is 3/2; for the investments in environmental activities it is 2/2. The results of the final evaluation of companies allowed making the conclusion that PJSC " Norilsk Nickel MMC" has higher level of development and better implementation of CSR programs if compared to PJSC "Severstal" in terms of both external and internal directions (13 points against 9 points). According to the results obtained from the analysis, the most vulnerable and less-developed areas of CSR for both companies have been identified. These are the external directions of the program of " Development of the regional infrastructure" and "Investments in environmental measures". The results of the analysis can be applied by metallurgical companies in order to adjust and improve the CSR programs. In the future, it is planned to conduct a comparative analysis of both the corporate social responsibility programs of the largest companies in the Arctic, as well as the evaluation methods, in order to identify the most objective methods of research, and develop recommendations.