NOVY URENGOY /Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region/, April 7. /TASS/. Gazprom Neft developed a system to forecast permafrost conditions in Yamal, where the term is to 2050, the company said. The digital model will be used in implementing industrial projects in the Far North, taking into account changes in perennially frozen soils.
"The cryolithozone occupies more than 60% of this country's territory. The assessment of its conditions and changes is one of the state priorities. Not so long ago, the Russian government decided to create a state permafrost monitoring system based on the Russian Hydrometeorology Service facilities. <...> The digital system that we have created will allow us to simulate changes in the cryolithozone for decades to come and will help in developing complex deposits in the Far North in an environmentally friendly manner," the company's CEO Alexander Dyukov said, adding that Gazprom Neft is happy to share the models, including with government agencies.
Perennially frozen soils lie in the upper part of the earth's crust, and the reliability and durability of buildings, roads, and utility networks directly depend on maintaining their negative temperature.
The digital system makes it possible to predict with high accuracy changes in Yamal soils specifications. This data will favor safe operation of existing facilities, as well as efficient design and construction of new facilities in the Arctic.
The digital model collects data from 3,500 engineering and geological wells, space surveys, as well as field and laboratory studies. The system reflects the structure, temperature, physical and mechanical and thermal-physical properties of soils and rocks to assess the permafrost's current state, to identify risk factors and track subsurface processes.
The geo-information model describes permafrost in areas of more than 15,000 square kilometers in the Yamal Peninsula's western part. Further on, the company will be using it in other locations of its operations in Eastern and Western Siberia.
About the project
In 2024, Gazprom Neft established a center for development and operation of deposits in the cryolithozone, the company said. This project is aimed at developing and implementing efficient technologies and approaches in hydrocarbon production in the Far North, as well as at studying and preserving permafrost. The center, located in Tyumen, is managed by GazpromNeft-Zapolyarye.