From November 1, 2026, a new national standard will come into force in Russia, which will establish general rules for the design and reconstruction of oil and gas wells on land. The document received the designation GOST R 72433-2025 and has already been approved by Rosstandart. This is the first such detailed regulation in domestic practice, combining disparate requirements into a single system.
The development was carried out by specialists from the Rosneft Scientific Institute in Samara. They collected and analyzed modern drilling methods, current regulations and mandatory environmental requirements. The result was a design documentation layout, which will now become a mandatory reference point for all industry players.
What does this change for the oil and gas sector? Previously, each company could design wells in its own way, relying on internal regulations or outdated SNiPs. Now a single template appears. This simplifies approvals, reduces the risk of errors and allows you to launch new fields faster. In essence, the industry receives a universal construction kit, where everything is spelled out: from geological parameters to environmental protection measures.
Experts note that there are no analogues to such a systematic approach in world practice yet. Typically, standards are either too general or, conversely, concern only narrow technical details. Russian GOST covers the full cycle – from design to acceptance, including safety and environmental requirements.
It is expected that the introduction of uniform requirements will have a positive impact on drilling efficiency. Companies will be able to replicate successful technical solutions without reinventing the wheel for each new object. This will reduce design time and reduce the cost of construction.
Particular attention is paid to environmental safety in the document. Mandatory measures to protect soil, water and atmosphere are prescribed. This is important because even with ideal drilling, risks to nature remain, and they need to be minimized at the project stage, and not after an accident has already occurred.
In 2025, the volume of penetration in oil fields Russia exceeded 29 million meters. Almost 98 percent of them were development drilling. Such scales require clear and understandable rules of the game. The new GOST addresses this need, making the industry more transparent and technologically advanced.
Source: @cdutek
