Engineering hydrometeorological and environmental surveys are no longer "additional" sections that can be skipped or completed as a mere formality.
Since late 2025, the requirements for the composition of engineering surveys have started to actually apply in practice.
And right now this is especially noticeable: the number of requests for hydrometeorological and environmental surveys has risen sharply — because without a complete set of surveys, the expert review simply does not pass.
What has changed?
As of April 27, 2026, the GIS EGRZ (Unified State Register of Expert Reviews) now verifies expert review opinions taking into account:
— the functional purpose of the capital construction facility;
— the fields of expertise of the specialists who signed the opinion.
The basis is the new wording of clause 36 of Regulation No. 145.
Now, specialists covering all the fields relevant to the type of facility and its functional and technological features must take part in the expert review.
For now the system operates in notification mode, but starting May 25, 2026, the GIS EGRZ will no longer allow an expert review opinion to be uploaded if the composition of experts does not meet the legal requirements.
Now, without a complete set of engineering surveys:
— it is impossible to pass the input control;
— it is impossible to obtain a valid expert review opinion;
— it is impossible to upload the opinion to the GIS EGRZ.
This is especially relevant for facilities where, given their functional purpose, all four types of engineering surveys are mandatory.
The market is gradually moving away from a formal approach. In my view, this is the right change: engineering surveys should genuinely reduce construction risks, not merely exist as a formality.
