State ecological expertize (SEE)

State expertize (SE)

Both SEE and SE

•  project documentation of technical specifications for new equipment, technology, the use of which may have environmental impact

•  materials of comprehensive ecological investigation of areas/territories for giving these territories legal status of protected natural areas of Federal or Regional significance

•  projects planned to be realized on the continental shelf, in the exclusive economic zone, territorial sea and contiguous zone of the Russian Federation as well as on the protected natural areas of the federal, regional or local significance

•  projects connected with location and neutralization of dangerous waste.

projects connected with construction, reconstruction

The projects require both the State ecological expertize and the State expertize if the planned economic activity is connected with construction on the continental shelf, in the exclusive economic zone, territorial sea, contiguous zone of the Russian Federation or in protected natural areas

For projects connected with construction, reconstruction and location of the objects of transport infrastructure in the protected natural area, on the continental shelf, in the exclusive economic zone, in the inland sea waters, territorial sea or contiguous zone of the Russian Federation both State ecological and State expertize are mandatory. Developer submits the project documentation first for the State ecological expertize and then for the State expertize. The project documentation should contain the section “Environmental impact assessment materials” done according to the requirements of the Russian Regulation on EIA. 

The State ecological expertize (SEE)

SEE can be Federal or Regional.

The SEE on the regional level is conducted by the regional authorities. 

The SEE on the federal level is conducted by the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage (Rosprirodnadzor) and its regional Departments. 

Some of the regional Departments of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Usage and departments responsible for organization of the SEE on the regional level have their own administrative regulations based on the federal legislation that describe the procedure, requirements to the documents submitted for the SEE and the dates of consideration of the project materials.

The terms of consideration of the project documentation by the expert commission depend on the complexity of the project but cannot be more than 6 months. The Developer should cover the cost of the SEE.

The State/Non-State expertize (SE) of the project documentation and engineering surveys results

According to Article 49 of the Town-Planning Code of the RF the project documentation of the objects’ construction or reconstruction as well as engineering surveys results require the expertize that can be State or Non-State. 

The State expertize is conducted by the federal or regional authorities according to the Decree of the Russian Federation No.145 of March 05, 2007 on the rules of organization and conducting the state expertize of the project documentation and engineering investigations results. In practice, each region has its own regulations on organization and conducting the State/Non-State expertize based on the federal legislation.