Public Monitoring of the Oil and Gas Projects on Sakhalin

About this grant

Just offshore of the small island of Sakhalin in the Russian Far East lay massive oil and gas reserves. It is estimated that the exploitable reserves are 45 billion barrels of oil equivalent (combined oil and gas reserve estimates). Due to the unique ecosystem and economically important fish stocks that rely on these ecosystems, all of the Sakhalin Island oil and gas projects require public monitoring and oversight as they have had — and will have — a sizable impact on the local environment and community livelihoods. Through the Sakhalin Environment Watch’s vigilance over the past few years, the project design for the island’s oil and gas pipelines has been modified, and stronger international standards are being developed, which will have broad implications for oil and gas exploration elsewhere. Through this grant, Sakhalin Environment Watch will provide public environmental monitoring of these energy projects. This project will ensure that the global spotlight will not fade once the oil and gas pipelines are complete.