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Basic Certification
Approval Procedures and Requirements for Oil and Gas Projects and Equipment
in Russia
January 31, 2002
Source: U.S. Foreign
Commercial Service
Summary: All oil and
gas equipment imported into Russia must be certified for product safety and
compatibility. Certification has often been referred to as a complicated,
costly and time-consuming process. Recent company interviews by CS Moscow
indicate significant improvements in certification procedures and price
reductions for product testing; however, understanding the procedures may be
difficult for new market entrants. This report briefly describes the current
certification system for oil and gas equipment and provides contact
information for the Russian certification agencies. End summary.
While Sakhalin 1 and 2 upstream oil and gas development projects are gaining
additional impetus and several more are in the pipeline, upstream developers
and engineering companies are drawing their attention to basic certification
requirements regulating engineering and construction work as well as
equipment certification procedures.
As specified in Government Resolution #86 (February 02, 2001):
The overall supervisory responsibility over the Production Sharing Agreement
(PSA) development projects lies with the Ministry of Economic Development and
Trade. The Ministry of Natural Resources addresses licensing and
environmental issues and the Ministry of Energy is primarily concerned with
the project's production volumes, conditions and export schedules.
The basic document which establishes the Government agencies' role and
functions in the assessment (certification) process is Government Resolution
# 1008 (December 27, 2000) "On Execution of the State Assessment and
Approval of Construction, Preliminary and Project Documentation in the
Russian Federation."
On the Federal Level assessment and conformity certification is performed by
the Main Department for State Inter-agency Assessment (GlavGosExpertiza)
under the State Committee for Construction, Architecture and Communal
Development (GosStroy) and its respective regional branches, on the regional
level.
All imported building materials/structures will be certified through GosStroy
by NIIProyectStal'Konstruktsiya. Most of the testing will be performed by the
following entities:
Information Center for Construction Norms and Standards (VNIINTLI)
127045 Moscow, 1-st Tverskaya-Yamskaya St., 6
Tel.(095) 251-1759/133-1281/9235
Fax: (095) 251-1759
and the
Central Agency for Construction Certification (TsOS) operating under the
Department of Technical Norms of GosStroy.
117987 Moscow, Stroiteley St., 8, korpus 2
Tel. (095) 930-5766/1100
Fax: (095) 930-5766
Other Government Agencies that will be involved in the conformity assessment
are:
-- Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) – assessment in terms of
preventing any kind of emergency (e.g. fire safety, and oil spills
prevention/abatement systems).
Assessment Group (MChS)
121357 Moscow, Vatutina St.,1
Tel. (095) 449 3968/9512
Evgeny Alexeyevich Kozlov, Head
-- Ministry of Natural Resources – assessment in the environmental area, as
well as proper usage and protection of water, mineral resources, oil and gas
fields.
Department of Environmental and Geological Assessment
109180 Moscow, Kedrova 8/1
Tel. (095) 124-0471/1733
Amirhan Magomedovich Amirhanov, Director
-- Ministry of Labor and Social Development – assessment of working (labor)
conditions
-- Federal Industrial Safety and Mining Supervisory Service of Russia -
GosGorTechNadzor (GGTN) – assessment of industrial safety and rational usage
of subsoil resources.
Oil and gas equipment imported to Russia must receive a certificate of
technical compatibility as determined by the Russian State Committee on
Standards (Gosstandart). Unfortunately, many Russian and Western standards
diverge because Gosstandart does not participate in the ISO development work
of the European Coordinating Council. Russia's industrial equipment licensing
agency, Gosgortecknadzor, currently does not accept non-Russian technical standards
(such as ISO 9001 series), and the domestic construction code has several
more stringent provisions than Western regulations. As far as compatibility
is concerned, there is a number of private intermediary companies that have
been licensed by Gosstandart to provide laboratory testing and other
certification-related services. Interested U.S. companies can obtain a
listing of North American laboratories accredited by Gosstandart from the
U.S. Department of Commerce's Business Information Service for the New
Independent States (BISNIS) at the following website:
www.bisnis.doc.gov/Russia
GosGorTechNadzor (GGTN) controls issues related to industrial safety on the
territory of the Russian Federation, develops and enforces Federal
requirements (rules and norms) on safe operation, design and manufacturing of
equipment and also participates in developing requirements for rational use
and protection of subsoil resources. GGTN also participates in development
and harmonization of international rules and standards related to work
safety, equipment design, issuing respective licenses, including those
related to safe development of subsoil resources. In addition, GGTN
cooperates with the Ministry of Natural Resources in terms of adequate
development of deposits (including hydrocarbons) on and offshore (within the
limits of the marine economic zone).
GGTN's certification will include general approval of the structural outline
(engineering design package), systems, modules and individual equipment
(unit) certification. A separate certificate ('permission') will be issued
for each system, module or unit.
Furthermore, for marine terminals or offshore drilling platforms, licenses
(certificates) will be needed from the Russian Marine Registry of Shipping
(RMRS). They will cover navigation appliances, survival aids, lifeboats,
etc., while the Ministry of Communications will be responsible for frequency
approvals (radios, satellite communications, etc.).
Contact:
The request letter on project (design) conformity and building materials
(structures) approval/certification should be addressed to both:
State Committee for Construction and Housing (GosStroy) of Russia
Stroiteley St., 8, Bldg. 2, 117987 Moscow
Ms. Larissa Stepanovna Barinova, Deputy Chairperson
Tel. (095) 930-4480
Fax: (095) 930-4654/7150
and
GlavGosExpertiza,
12/5, Furkasovsky per., Moscow
Tel: (095) 925-7546
Fax: (095) 924-6749
Mr. Shota Mikhailovich Gordeziani, Deputy Director.
Tel. (095) 923-4694
Fax: (095) 925-9398
while the equipment safety certification should be directed to
GosGorTechNadzor
A. Lukyanova St., 4, korpus 8, Moscow 107066
Evgeny Alexandrovich Ivanov,
First Deputy Head
Tel. (095) 263-9826
Fax: (095) 261-2714
For more information on Russia's oil and gas sector and business opportunities,
please contact:
Nick Mikhailov, Commercial Specialist
U.S. Commercial Service, Embassy-Moscow
phone: 7 (095) 737-5030
fax: 7 (095) 737-5033
e-mail: Nick.Mikhailov@mail.doc.gov
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