Cases / Oil, gas and coal operations · Russia · 2005–2009
Sakhalin-2: 2006 approval revocation, Gazprom stake purchase, 2009 damage-claim settlement and lender exits
Nature's voice · report
Rosprirodnadzor reported in September 2006 that spoil dredged for the Prigorodnoye jetty was dumped closer to my shore than the permitted 24 km site, leaving debris on my seabed in Aniva Bay.
Did nature suffer? Yes. Harm is on record. Disputed
Recorded
- Rosprirodnadzor reported in 2006 that a landslide linked to pipeline construction destroyed my forest in Makarov district, and that about 50 ha of my forest at the Dolinsk section were damaged. Kommersant
- Rosprirodnadzor's August 2006 inspection reported discharges with excess oil-product content from the Molikpaq platform into my sea. Vedomosti
- Pacific Environment stated in 2005 that dumping of 2 million cubic metres of dredging waste into my Aniva Bay had begun, and that the bay is habitat for 25% of the salmon caught on Sakhalin. Cultural Survival (Pacific Environment press release)
- In April 2008 Rosprirodnadzor inspectors reported violations of forestry legislation, including forest destruction, during pipeline construction through my forests. Pravo.ru
- The company's monitoring page says the pipelines cross about 1,000 of my freshwater bodies, with no significant deformation of riverbeds at most crossings and no impact on fish communities at the operation stage; the page gives no dates. Sakhalin Energy LLC
- In 2009 Rosprirodnadzor stated that my disturbed state had effectively been restored, and Sakhalin Energy described the impact as short-term and reversible. Kommersant
- About 50 hectares of my forest were lost.Dolinsk section, Rosprirodnadzor, September 2006.
What the record lacks: 4 none on record · 2 not disclosed · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured · 9 disputed · 4 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Size of the regulator's 2006 damage estimate
- Press and investigations Oil & Gas Journal (17 Oct 2006): Rosprirodnadzor estimated the cost of rectifying damage at USD 10-50 billion. Oil & Gas Journal
- Press and investigations Kommersant (3 Jul 2009, retrospective): Mitvol estimated damage at USD 30-50 billion in autumn 2006 and officials threatened USD 50 billion claims. Kommersant
State of the environment and fisheries damage after the 2009 settlement
- Government and regulators Rosprirodnadzor: The disturbed state of the environment had effectively been restored. Kommersant
- Company or project Sakhalin Energy: The impact was short-term and reversible. Kommersant
- Communities and civil society Sakhalin Environment Watch (Dmitry Lisitsyn, December 2006): Sakhalin Energy would still have to pay for damages to fisheries in Aniva Bay. Cultural Survival (Pacific Environment / Sakhalin Environment Watch)
In September 2006 Russian authorities moved to cancel the environmental approval of the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project; on 21 December 2006 Gazprom, Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi signed a protocol for Gazprom to take 50% plus one share for USD 7.45 billion. A claim of RUB 390 million was settled in July 2009 by counting RUB 647 million of company environmental spending.
RUB 390 million estimateDamage claim filed by the regulator, settled in 2009
Settled in July 2009 by counting RUB 647 million of company environmental spending; Kommersant reported no cash due under the claim. The regulator's 2006 estimate of the cost of rectifying damage was USD 10-50 billion (Oil & Gas Journal).
Settled in July 2009 by counting RUB 647 million of company environmental spending; Kommersant reported no cash due under the claim. The regulator's 2006 estimate of the cost of rectifying damage was USD 10-50 billion (Oil & Gas Journal).
Status As of 2009 (latest sources): the RUB 390 million claim was settled by counting RUB 647 million of company environmental spending; ownership of the project changed again in 2022 (see related case).
What?
In 2006 Russian authorities moved to cancel the environmental approval of Sakhalin-2 and reported dredge-spoil dumping, forest damage and discharges; Gazprom bought 50% plus one share of the operator for USD 7.45 billion; a RUB 390 million damage claim was settled in 2009 by counting RUB 647 million of company environmental spending; lenders including the EBRD, US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD stepped back while JBIC lent up to USD 3.7 billion. Kommersant
Where?
Prigorodnoye LNG plant and jetty on Aniva Bay, the onshore pipeline route (including Makarov and Dolinsk districts) and the Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye fields, Sakhalin; courts in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Moscow. Kommersant
When?
Court ruling on the jetty review in 2005; enforcement actions August-December 2006; protocol with Gazprom 21 December 2006; sale agreement April 2007; EBRD exit January 2007; ECA withdrawals March 2008; JBIC loan June 2008; settlement July 2009. Kommersant
Who?
Gained
- Gazprom — 50% plus one share of SEIC for USD 7.45 billion in cash Oil & Gas Journal
- Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi — Received the USD 7.45 billion cash price for part of their stakes RFE/RL
- Sakhalin Energy — The RUB 390 million claim was settled by counting RUB 647 million of its own environmental spending, with no cash due Kommersant
Lost
- Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi — Stakes reduced from 55%, 25% and 20% to 27.5%, 12.5% and 10% Oil & Gas Journal
- EBRD, US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD — Financing applications dropped or withdrawn in 2007-2008 FoE Japan (NGO advisory)
Harmed
- Aniva Bay seabed — Dredge spoil dumped closer to shore than the permitted 24 km site, leaving debris on the seabed (Rosprirodnadzor, 2006) Kommersant
- Forest in Makarov and Dolinsk districts — Forest destroyed by a landslide linked to pipeline construction; about 50 ha at the Dolinsk section (Rosprirodnadzor, 2006) Kommersant
- Sea around the Molikpaq platform — Discharges with excess oil-product content reported by an August 2006 inspection Vedomosti
Why?
Authorities cited unfulfilled recommendations of the state ecological review, failure to take anti-erosion measures and insufficient documentation behind the expertise; an analyst described the actions as a political campaign tied to the production sharing agreement terms and the entry of Russian partners, and no official finding resolved the motive. Vedomosti
How?
The Ministry of Natural Resources cancelled the 2003 expertise on a prosecutor's protest, Rosprirodnadzor sued and quantified damage, the shareholders signed the protocol with Gazprom, and the claim was later settled by offsetting company spending; lenders conditioned financing on environmental measures. Kommersant
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
In July 2005 Pacific Environment reported that a court in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on a suit by Sakhalin Environment Watch and Sakhalin citizens against the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC), upheld a ruling that the environmental impact review for the Aniva Bay LNG jetty was invalid. A press report of 30 July 2005 said Russian newspapers reported LNG terminal work suspended, while sources on Sakhalin said work continued. On 29 August 2006 the Presnensky district court in Moscow rejected an environmental groups' suit against the Ministry of Natural Resources that sought to cancel the 2003 expert approval. On 5 September 2006 Rosprirodnadzor, the federal environmental regulator, filed suit to revoke approval for Sakhalin-2, citing unfulfilled recommendations of the state ecological review and failure to take anti-erosion measures (AP).
On 18-19 September 2006 Minister of Natural Resources Yuri Trutnev signed an order cancelling the ministry's 2003 order approving the positive state environmental expertise of the Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye development. The basis was a protest by First Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Buksman, and the order required the agreement of Rostekhnadzor to take effect. Prosecutors held that the expertise relied on insufficiently developed documentation and lacked a risk evaluation; Rosprirodnadzor's August 2006 inspection reported discharges with excess oil-product content from the Molikpaq platform. On 29 September 2006 Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of Rosprirodnadzor, said dredge spoil for the 800 m jetty near Prigorodnoye had been dumped markedly closer to shore than the permitted 24 km site, that a pipeline-induced landslide had destroyed forest in Makarov district, and that the agency intended to seek criminal cases and suspension of pipeline construction. Preliminary forest damage was RUB 11.6 million in Makarov district and RUB 14-15 million for about 50 ha at the Dolinsk section. In October 2006 Rosprirodnadzor estimated the cost of rectifying damage at USD 10-50 billion, a figure Mitvol attributed to land reclamation and seabed cleaning in Aniva Bay, with a final figure promised "until the end of next summer". Sakhalin Energy said no applicable law had been violated.
On 21 December 2006 Gazprom, Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi signed a protocol in Moscow with President Putin present. The sale and purchase agreement followed in April 2007: Gazprom paid USD 7.45 billion in cash for 50% plus one share of SEIC, leaving Shell with 27.5%, Mitsui with 12.5% and Mitsubishi with 10% (before: Shell 55%, Mitsui 25%, Mitsubishi 20%). In April 2007 the Ministry of Natural Resources also approved SEIC's revised environmental action plan. According to Kommersant, the company paid USD 11 million for natural resource damage in 2007; the payee and legal basis were not stated. In 2006 the company said unforeseen costs would be counted as costs recoverable by the Russian Federation under the 1994 production sharing agreement.
Rosprirodnadzor brought a claim of RUB 390 million for environmental damage against SEIC before the Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region; a hearing was moved from 18 March to 20 April 2009. On 2-3 July 2009 the parties settled. Kommersant reported that the company documented RUB 647 million spent on environmental measures, that the parties agreed to count this as compensation, that the court approved the settlement and that no cash was due under the claim. Rosprirodnadzor said the disturbed state of the environment had effectively been restored; Sakhalin Energy described the impact as short-term and reversible; Gazprom said the claims concerned a period before it joined the project.
The lenders reacted separately. On 11 January 2007 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced it would no longer consider the Sakhalin II financing package it had considered for five years, citing the change of ownership; in August 2007 it confirmed it would not resume negotiations. On 4 March 2008 SEIC withdrew applications for "hundreds of millions of dollars" in public financing from US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD. On 16 June 2008 the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) signed a loan agreement of up to USD 3.7 billion with SEIC for Phase 2, cofinanced with a commercial bank syndicate of up to USD 1.6 billion. An IUCN panel statement describes the western gray whale advisory process as a condition of the agreement set up by the banks and other lending institutions.
- 2005Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk court upholds a ruling that the Aniva Bay jetty environmental review was invalid (reported 28 Jul)
- 2006Moscow court rejects environmentalists' suit (29 Aug); Rosprirodnadzor sues to revoke approval (5 Sep)
- 2006Ministry order cancels the 2003 expertise (18-19 Sep)
- 2006Mitvol statements on dredge spoil and forest damage (29 Sep)
- 2006Rosprirodnadzor damage estimate of USD 10-50 billion (Oct)
- 2006Protocol between Gazprom, Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi signed in Moscow (21 Dec)
- 2007EBRD stops considering the financing (11 Jan)
- 2007Sale and purchase agreement for 50% plus one share at USD 7.45 billion; revised environmental action plan approved (Apr)
- 2007Deforestation fine reported by RIA Novosti (19 Dec)
- 2008SEIC withdraws US Ex-Im and UK ECGD applications (4 Mar)
- 2008JBIC signs loan of up to USD 3.7 billion (16 Jun)
- 2009Settlement of the RUB 390 million claim approved by the Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region; RUB 647 million of company spending counted as compensation (2-3 Jul)
What was said
Claims, in the words of those who made them.
“Work on the pipeline cannot continue; the project must be stopped”
“will have to pay fines for ecological damage, whoever its shareholders are”
“none of these developments relate to the existing Phase 1 activities which are not impacted in any way”
“By making this deal, Gazprom is now on the environmental hook, along with Shell, Mitsubishi and Mitsui.”
“Sakhalin Energy will still have to pay for damages to fisheries in Aniva Bay.”
“financing is unfeasible, given the timeframe of the project”
“We celebrate this tremendous victory”
“continue to do so through the monitoring of the project”
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Size of the regulator's 2006 damage estimate
Press and investigations
Oil & Gas Journal (17 Oct 2006)
Rosprirodnadzor estimated the cost of rectifying damage at USD 10-50 billion.
Oil & Gas JournalPress and investigations
Kommersant (3 Jul 2009, retrospective)
Mitvol estimated damage at USD 30-50 billion in autumn 2006 and officials threatened USD 50 billion claims.
KommersantState of the environment and fisheries damage after the 2009 settlement
Government and regulators
Rosprirodnadzor
The disturbed state of the environment had effectively been restored.
KommersantCommunities and civil society
Sakhalin Environment Watch (Dmitry Lisitsyn, December 2006)
Sakhalin Energy would still have to pay for damages to fisheries in Aniva Bay.
Cultural Survival (Pacific Environment / Sakhalin Environment Watch)Whether anything was paid under the 2009 settlement
Press and investigations
Kommersant (text)
The company documented RUB 647 million spent on environmental measures, counted as compensation; no cash was due under the claim.
KommersantPress and investigations
Kommersant (headline)
The headline gives the figure as 650 million roubles.
KommersantFigure and date of the claim
Press and investigations
PortNews (RIA Novosti, 19 Dec 2007)
A fine "over 390 billion rubles ($15.8 million)" for deforestation.
PortNews (RIA Novosti)Press and investigations
pravo.ru (24 Mar 2009)
Rosprirodnadzor v. SEIC, 390 million roubles; violations identified in April 2008.
Pravo.ruMotive for the 2006 enforcement actions
Government and regulators
Rosprirodnadzor (suit of 5 September 2006)
Rosprirodnadzor's suit cited unfulfilled recommendations of the state ecological review and failure to take anti-erosion measures.
Cultural Survival (AP)Researchers
Valery Nesterov, Troika Dialog analyst
The agencies' actions were a political campaign aimed at shifting the production sharing agreement to the normal tax regime and bringing in Russian partners.
VedomostiReason for the withdrawal of US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD applications
Communities and civil society
Pacific Environment and Sakhalin Environment Watch (Doug Norlen)
The banks had a responsibility to state their rejection publicly; the withdrawal let lenders avoid formally rejecting the project on environmental grounds.
FoE Japan (NGO advisory)Company or project
SEIC
Withdrew the applications citing "serious concerns over possible delays".
FoE Japan (NGO advisory)How it looked
What was shown, beside what was recorded.
Shown
- Environmental issues could be considered "resolved in principle" after the Gazprom agreement.President Putin, December 2006, as quoted by Kommersant in 2009 · Kommersant
- The deal brought "stability".Jeroen van der Veer, Shell chief executive, December 2006 · RFE/RL
- The environmental impact was "short-term and reversible".Sakhalin Energy, 2009 · Kommersant
- The disturbed state of the environment had "effectively been restored".Rosprirodnadzor, 2009 · Kommersant
- Headline: "Gazprom removed the $50 billion claims against Sakhalin Energy for 650 million roubles".Kommersant, 3 July 2009 · Kommersant
Recorded
- Settlement of July 2009: RUB 647 million of company environmental spending counted as compensation for the RUB 390 million claim; no cash due under the claim; settlement approved by the Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region.
- Gazprom paid USD 7.45 billion in cash for 50% plus one share of SEIC; Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi retained 27.5%, 12.5% and 10%.
- Kommersant (2009) stated that the project cost under the production sharing agreement was estimated at USD 21 billion and that even the environmental costs "could be reimbursed by the state" under that agreement.
- The company paid USD 11 million for natural resource damage in 2007 (Kommersant).
- Rosprirodnadzor inspectors reported violations of forestry legislation during pipeline construction (forest destruction) in April 2008.
- The Ministry of Natural Resources approved SEIC's revised environmental action plan in April 2007.
Who gained
Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.
Reached nature or the ground
Not published
Rosprirodnadzor claim for environmental damage (RUB m)390m
Settled in 2009.
Company environmental spending counted as compensation in the settlement (RUB m)647m
No cash due under the claim.
Payment for natural resource damage (USD m)11m
Payee and legal basis not disclosed.
Regulator's estimate of the cost of rectifying damage (USD m) estimate—
Estimate stated by Rosprirodnadzor in October 2006; no final figure on record.
Gained elsewhere
Not totalled
Paid by Gazprom for 50% plus one share of SEIC (USD m)7.5bn
JBIC loan for Phase 2, up to (USD m)3.7bn
Commercial bank syndicate cofinancing, up to (USD m)1.6bn
JBIC loan for Phase 1 (USD m)116m
Currency: Mixed (see each line) · Window: 2005-2009. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.
Responses on record
- Sakhalin Energy (September 2006): No applicable law was violated; the developments did not relate to existing Phase 1 activities, according to chief executive Ian Craig. · Offshore Magazine
- Sakhalin Energy (2009): The environmental impact was short-term and reversible. · Kommersant
- Rosprirodnadzor (2009): The disturbed state of the environment had effectively been restored. · Kommersant
- Gazprom (2009): The claims concerned a period before it joined the project. · Kommersant
- Shell (September 2006): Did not link the agencies' actions to the Gazprom talks. · Vedomosti
- EBRD (January and August 2007): Financing was unfeasible given the timeframe of the project; it had worked with SEIC on environmental, whale-protection, river-crossing and indigenous-peoples measures. · FoE Japan (EBRD text)
- SEIC (4 March 2008): Withdrew the US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD applications citing "serious concerns over possible delays", as told to Dow Jones. · FoE Japan (NGO advisory)
- JBIC (16 June 2008): It would continue to raise environmental concerns through monitoring of the project, including oil spill response. · JBIC
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2005Claimant wonSakhalin Environment Watch and Sakhalin citizens v. Ministry of Natural Resources and SEIC (Aniva Bay jetty review)Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk court · Civil · Sakhalin Environment Watch and Sakhalin citizens → Ministry of Natural Resources; Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC)
Pacific Environment reported in July 2005 that the court upheld a ruling that the environmental impact review for the Aniva Bay LNG jetty was invalid. A press report of 30 July 2005 said a local court ruled Shell had not followed the correct environmental procedures for jetty approval. Cultural Survival (Pacific Environment press release)
- 2006Defendant wonEnvironmental groups v. Ministry of Natural Resources (cancellation of the 2003 expertise)Presnensky district court, Moscow · Civil · Environmental groups → Ministry of Natural Resources
On 29 August 2006 the court rejected the suit seeking to cancel the 2003 expertise. Kommersant
- 2006–Outcome not on recordRosprirodnadzor suit to revoke approval for Sakhalin-2Court not stated in the source · Administrative · Rosprirodnadzor → Not stated in the source
Filed 5 September 2006, citing unfulfilled recommendations of the state ecological review and failure to take anti-erosion measures (AP). Cultural Survival (AP)
- 2006–2006Outcome not on recordMinistry of Natural Resources order cancelling the 2003 approval of the state environmental expertiseMinistry of Natural Resources · Administrative · Office of the Prosecutor General (protest by First Deputy Prosecutor General) → Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye development (Sakhalin Energy)
Order signed 18-19 September 2006 by Minister Yuri Trutnev on the prosecutor's protest; it required the agreement of Rostekhnadzor to take effect. Kommersant
- 2008–2009SettledRUB 390m claimed (million)Rosprirodnadzor v. Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (environmental damage)Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region · Civil · Rosprirodnadzor → Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (SEIC)
Claim of RUB 390 million for environmental damage; hearing moved from 18 March to 20 April 2009. Settlement approved by the court in July 2009: RUB 647 million of company environmental spending counted as compensation; no cash due under the claim. Kommersant
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What nature saw
Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
Claim settled
RUB 390 million
Offset by RUB 647 million of company environmental spending, July 2009
Cost estimate stated in 2006
USD 10-50 billion
Rosprirodnadzor estimate of rectifying damage; no final figure on record
Forest damage reported
about 50 ha
Dolinsk section, preliminary figure from Rosprirodnadzor, September 2006
Stake price
USD 7.45 billion
Paid by Gazprom for 50% plus one share of SEIC
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
Money
- None on record Regulator's estimate of the cost of rectifying damage (USD m) — Estimate stated by Rosprirodnadzor in October 2006; no final figure on record.
Court
Accounts
Record
- None on record None on record: a criminal conviction or court finding of liability for environmental damage in connection with the 2006 allegations; Mitvol's stated intent in September 2006 to seek criminal cases has no outcome on record.
- None on record None on record: the final damage figure that Rosprirodnadzor promised for "the end of next summer" (2007).
- Not measured Not measured: an official volume of dredge spoil dumped in Aniva Bay or of fisheries losses; the 2 million cubic metres figure comes from an NGO.
- None on record None on record: any payment to fishermen or for Aniva Bay fisheries.
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: the payee and legal basis of the USD 11 million paid for natural resource damage in 2007.
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: the case number of the Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region settlement.
- Unclear Unclear: whether the September 2006 ministry order took effect; it required the agreement of Rostekhnadzor (Kommersant).
- Disputed Disputed: when the claim arose. PortNews (RIA Novosti) reported it on 19 December 2007; pravo.ru reported violations identified in April 2008; Kommersant (2009) dated Rosprirodnadzor's damage assessment to spring 2007 and said the claim concerned 2006 pipeline construction.
- Disputed Figures differ: PortNews printed the fine as "over 390 billion rubles ($15.8 million)"; pravo.ru and Kommersant give RUB 390 million.
- Insufficient Insufficient: the company's river-monitoring page gives no dates or data series (self-reported).
- Unclear Unclear: the Development Assistance Plan agreement for indigenous peoples (indigenous council, Sakhalin Energy, regional administration) is reported with USD 300,000 over five years from 1 June 2006 to 1 June 2011; the wording does not say whether per year or in total (RAIPON author).
- Disputed Disputed: motive. Officials described the actions as environmental enforcement; an analyst described them as a political campaign; no official finding resolves it.
Did the harm stop?
Rosprirodnadzor stated in 2009 that the disturbed state of the environment had effectively been restored; Sakhalin Energy described the impact as short-term and reversible.
Who paid?
Under the July 2009 settlement the company's RUB 647 million of environmental spending was counted as compensation and no cash was due. Kommersant reported that environmental costs could be reimbursed by the state under the production sharing agreement. The company paid USD 11 million for natural resource damage in 2007.
Sources
Voices on record: ✓ Company or project✓ Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers✓ International bodies
Company or project
- Sakhalin Energy: river crossingsSakhalin Energy LLC · n.d.
Government and regulators
- Loan agreement for Sakhalin II (Phase 2), NR/2008-22JBIC · 2008-06-16
Press and investigations
- Oleg Mitvol decided to stop Sakhalin Energy (in Russian)Kommersant · 2006-09-29
- Sakhalin-2 will be stopped (in Russian)Vedomosti · 2006-09-19
- Russian permit revocation draws Sakhalin Energy responseOffshore Magazine · 2006-09-19
- Sakhalin-2 environmental damage pegged at $10-50 billionOil & Gas Journal · 2006-10-17
- Gazprom acquires controlling stake in Sakhalin-2Oil & Gas Journal · 2007-04-24
- Gazprom takes control of Sakhalin-2 from ShellRFE/RL · 2006-12-22
- Shell may cede Sakhalin-2 controlAl Jazeera (agencies) · 2006-12-11
- Russian minister backs official in Shell campaignOneindia (Reuters) · 2006-12-15
- Russia Agency Sues to Stop Shell ProjectCultural Survival (AP) · 2006-09-05
- Fish protest forces Shell to delay oil terminal (press report by Malcolm Moore, reprinted)FoE Japan (reprint) · 2005-07-30
- EBRD halts Sakhalin II talksGlobal Trade Review · 2007-08-13
- Sakhalin II operator fined for deforestationPortNews (RIA Novosti) · 2007-12-19
- Court to hear Rosprirodnadzor suit against Sakhalin Energy on 20 April (in Russian)Pravo.ru · 2009-03-24
Communities and civil society
- Russian Court Rejects Shell's Sakhalin-II Environmental ReviewCultural Survival (Pacific Environment press release) · 2005-07-28
- Sakhalin II Deal Leaves Shell and Gazprom on the Environmental HookCultural Survival (Pacific Environment / Sakhalin Environment Watch) · 2006-12-28
- Environmental Victory: Sakhalin II cannot get financing from US and UK export credit agencies (NGO advisory)FoE Japan (NGO advisory) · 2008-03-04
International bodies
- EBRD press release on Sakhalin II (reproduced)FoE Japan (EBRD text) · 2007-01-11
- WGWAP Closing StatementIUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group · 2022-04-13
Connected cases
Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
- Sakhalin-2 and Sakhalin-1 in 2022: transfer decrees, the ecological-audit deduction clause and write-downs Russia · 2022–2026 Related matter
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- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Held 27.5% of SEIC; impairment of USD 1,614 million; defendant in the Moscow claim
- Mitsui & Co. (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (25% before, 12.5% after); there: Held 12.5% of SEIC; reduced investment value
- Mitsubishi Corporation (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (20% before, 10% after); there: Held 10% of SEIC; reduced investment value
- Sakhalin Energy (Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, SEIC / Sakhalin Energy LLC) (Company) — here: Project operator; defendant in the RUB 390 million claim; there: New Russian company holding SEIC's rights and obligations
- Prosecutor General of Russia (Government) — here: Protest of the First Deputy Prosecutor General led to the order; there: Claimant in the Moscow case against eight Shell entities
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Decree No. 416 and the orders on the stake sale
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- Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) (Government) — here: Lender: up to USD 3.7 billion for Phase 2; there: Lender whose loan conditions led to the panel
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Bank) — here: Stopped considering the financing in 2007; there: Lender whose conditions shaped the panel process before leaving the financing
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- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Prime Minister ordered arson checks (1 August 2019)
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- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Borrower of both loans; on-lent them to Komineft
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Bank) — here: Stopped considering the financing in 2007; there: Lender: US$25 million loan to the Russian Federation
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- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Sets the list of objects under Article 25.1(3); Deputy Prime Minister statements
- Baikal omul industrial fishing ban (from 2017) Russia · 2016–2026
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Funded releases, hatchery and research vessel
- Brazil REDD+ forest credits: Suruí project suspended; 2024 Amazonas concessions probed Brazil · 2013–2026
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: minority investor in Carbonext
- Brazil: Operation Greenwashing Brazil · 2024–2025
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Reported to hold a stake in Carbonext
- COP28 decision promoted carbon capture and left room for transition fuels United Arab Emirates · 2023
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Member of the Global CCS Institute
- Cordillera Azul National Park carbon project Peru · 2008–2026
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Credit buyer
- Corporate suits against Greenpeace (TotalEnergies, Shell, Resolute) France, United Kingdom, United States · 2019–2024
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Claimant against Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International
- Cosmos 1408 anti-satellite test (Russia) Russia · 2021
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Conducted the test
- Court cancels Shell's Wild Coast seismic exploration rights South Africa · 2022–2024
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Holder of the seismic exploration rights
- Edelman: API contract, Energy Citizens and the COP30 contract United States · 2005–2026
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Client in 2025 according to the sources reviewed
- ESPO oil pipeline rerouted away from the Baikal shore (2006) Russia · 2005–2008
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: President ordered the reroute; Prime Minister approved the route
- Germany rejects 215,000 carbon credits from Chinese oil-sector projects Germany · 2024
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Named among companies that used the credits, as reported
- Gorgon LNG carbon storage fell short; gap closed with credits Australia · 2006
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Gorgon partner (IEEFA)
- Groningen gas field Netherlands · date not stated
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Claimant in arbitration against the Netherlands
- Hardwood logging in the Russian Far East and exports to China Russia · 2001–2023
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Officials' statements 2020 and 2023
- Hill & Knowlton and Edelman: PR for fossil fuel clients and climate summits Egypt · 2005–2025
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: agency client
- Hill & Knowlton, the Frank Statement and the TIRC United States · 1953–2022
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Client at the time of COP27
- Indorama Agro cotton project (Uzbekistan) Uzbekistan · 2021–2026
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Bank) — here: Stopped considering the financing in 2007; there: Lender; operator of the accountability mechanism handling the complaint
- Isthmus of Tehuantepec wind farms, including Mareña, faced local opposition Mexico · 2012–2022
- Mitsubishi Corporation (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (20% before, 10% after); there: Joint venture partner named in the company response
- Japan's JBIC financed Vietnam's Vung Ang 2 coal plant from an environment-labelled fund Vietnam · 2020–2021
- Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) (Government) — here: Lender: up to USD 3.7 billion for Phase 2; there: state-backed bank that provided the $636 million
- Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine; Wiwa v Shell Nigeria · 1958–2026
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Operator through SPDC; defendant in Wiwa v Shell and the Dutch case; sold SPDC in 2025
- Lukoil-Komi oil spills in the Usinsk area and the Kolva River, 2011–2023, damage claims and payments Russia · 2011–2023
- Rosprirodnadzor (Public authority) — here: Environmental regulator; claimant; there: Environmental regulator; claimant in the 615 million case; announced the 2021 payments
- Mareña Renovables wind farm (Mexico) Mexico · 2014–2018
- Mitsubishi Corporation (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (20% before, 10% after); there: Named as a partner in Mareña Renovables
- Milan court acquits Eni and Shell in Nigeria corruption case Italy · 2021
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Defendant, acquitted
- Miteni PFAS contamination Italy · 1968–2025
- Mitsubishi Corporation (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (20% before, 10% after); there: Owner of Miteni; three former board members among the convicted
- Niger Delta oil spills and sabotage attribution (Shell, Eni) Nigeria · 2008–2022
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Operator through SPDC; sold SPDC in 2025
- Nornickel Sulphur Programme: SO2 targets, spending and measured emissions at Norilsk and Kola Russia · 2015–2026
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Resolution No. 353 of 12 March 2022; emissions-quota experiment postponed
- Norway Longship and Northern Lights CCS; Sleipner Norway · 1991–2025
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Northern Lights partner
- Ogoniland and Bodo spills clean-up (SPDC, HYPREP) Nigeria · 1958–2026
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Parent of SPDC; halted Ogoniland production in 1993; sold SPDC to Renaissance in March 2025
- Plant-for-the-Planet: 13.6 billion trees Germany / Global · 2011–2024
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: 1t.org pledger (2021 list)
- Producers funded 90% of EDF's 2013 methane study, HPPR reported United States · 2013
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Producer funder of the study
- Quest CCS (Shell, Alberta) Canada · 2015–2020
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Facility owner
- Rainforest credits investigation Global · 2009–2023
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Named credit buyer
- Russia declares WWF and Greenpeace 'undesirable' organisations Russia · 2023
- Prosecutor General of Russia (Government) — here: Protest of the First Deputy Prosecutor General led to the order; there: Issued the designations
- Russia's 1 January 2022 ban on exports of unprocessed softwood and valuable hardwood logs Russia · 2020–2025
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Issued the instruction, duties and quotas
- Russia's forest-fire control zones and federal fire-service funding Russia · 2015–2026
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Reserve-fund Order No. 2740-r (2026); Decree No. 382 issued by the President
- Russia's national carbon-unit system under Federal Law 296-FZ Russia · 2021–2026
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Adopted Decree No. 234 of 2026
- Russian forest-climate projects: RUSAL fire-protection units and Sakhalin larch planting Russia · 2019–2026
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Federal Law 492-FZ and reserve-account rules
- Russian Joint Implementation credits under the Kyoto Protocol, 2009–2012 Russia · 2009–2015
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Approved projects through the Designated Focal Point
- Sakhalin carbon-neutrality experiment under Federal Law 34-FZ Russia · 2022–2028
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Set the payment rate; federal law 34-FZ
- Salem tanker Senegal (offshore) · 1979–1985
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Cargo owner (Shell International Petroleum); claimant against cargo underwriters
- Shell and Greenpeace settle Penguins FPSO case; Greenpeace pays RNLI £300,000 United Kingdom · 2023–2024
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Claimant
- Shell buys Australian carbon-farming firm Select Carbon in August 2020 Australia · 2020–2023
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: acquirer of Select Carbon
- Shell nature-based solutions and carbon-neutral driving ads Netherlands · 2019–2023
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Fuel seller; advertiser of carbon-neutral driving; author of the Sky 1.5 scenario
- Shell Nigeria pipeline spill ruling (Hague Court of Appeal, 2021) Nigeria · 2021–2022
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Parent group of Shell Nigeria
- Shell reserves overstatement case: investors settle for $352.6 million United States · 2006
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: company whose reserves were restated
- Shell Rocky Mountain Arsenal insurance case United States · 1987–2010
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: Policyholder; co-payer of Arsenal cleanup
- Shell's 1.5C scenario relied on 700 million hectares of new forest Global · 2019–2021
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: author of the Sky 1.5 scenario; offered carbon-neutral driving
- Shell's 2022 stake in Brazilian REDD+ developer Carbonext Brazil · 2022
- Shell (Company) — here: Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after); there: bought a minority stake in Carbonext in 2022
- Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics: environmental pledges and the Mzymta valley Russia · 2007–2018
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Host government; Putin and Kozak statements
- Soviet whaling catches and the reports to the IWC, 1948–1979 Russia · 1948–1994
- Government of Russia (Government) — here: President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol; there: Supplied original catch data to the IWC Scientific Committee in 1994
- Talnakh Concentrator tailings facility: wastewater pumped onto the tundra, 2017–2020 Russia · 2017–2024
- Rosprirodnadzor (Public authority) — here: Environmental regulator; claimant; there: Environmental regulator; estimated restoration cost and filed the soil-damage claim
- Tukolon reserve sanitary logging conviction in Irkutsk Oblast Russia · 2018–2024
- Prosecutor General of Russia (Government) — here: Protest of the First Deputy Prosecutor General led to the order; there: Statements on fires and illegal logging, 2019
- Turkish holdings' coal expansion alongside renewables (Cenal, Akbelen, İçdaş) Türkiye · 2021–2026
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Bank) — here: Stopped considering the financing in 2007; there: Lender
- US EXIM Bank approves $1.25 billion for Reko Diq copper-gold project Pakistan · 2025
- US Export-Import Bank (EXIM) (Government agency) — here: Application withdrawn in 2008; there: approved financing
- Uzbek cotton boycott ends forced labour Uzbekistan · 2017–2026
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Bank) — here: Stopped considering the financing in 2007; there: Lender to Indorama Agro (USD 70 million)