Gazprom Neft develops permafrost forecasting system for W. Yamal, plans to expand it to Siberia by 2028
NOVY URENGOI. April 3 (Interfax) - Gazprom Neft has developed a digital system for forecasting changes in the permafrost for the western part of the Yamal Peninsula and plans to expand it to all of its fields in the permafrost zone of Eastern and Western Siberia by 2028, the Russian oil company said.
The structural integrity and durability of buildings, roads and engineering networks depend on the permafrost on which they are built remaining frozen. The digital forecast for Yamal, with projections to 2050, will help to safely operate already built facilities and effectively design and build new infrastructure in the Arctic.
The digital model combines data from 3,500 geotechnical boreholes, satellite images, and field and lab tests. The system shows structures, temperatures, physical and mechanical and thermal properties of soil and rock. All this helps to assess the current condition of permafrost, identify risk factors and monitor subsoil processes.
Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov said in the press release that the permafrost zone covers more than 60% of the country's area and assessing its condition and changes is a national priority.
"Not that long ago the government of Russia made a decision to create a national permafrost monitoring system based on [federal meteorology and environmental monitoring agency] Rosgidromet. The digital system we created will make it possible to model changes in the permafrost zone for decades into the future and help to develop complex fields in the Far North in an environmentally responsible way. And, of course, we will be prepared to share our model's data, including with government agencies," Dyukov said.
Gazprom Neft set up the Center for Field Development and Operation in the Permafrost Zone in 2024 with the aim of developing and implementing effective technologies and approaches to extracting hydrocarbons in the Far North, and studying and preserving permafrost.
