Project Management and the Integration of ESG Factors: A Review of Scientific Perspectives in the Oil and Gas Sector

Abstract

This research paper is a theoretical review aimed at systematizing the scientific literature on the integration of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) factors into project management in the oil and gas sector. The study aims to systematize scientific approaches to integrating ESG into oil and gas projects, identify key areas, and provide a conceptual basis for future research by identifying theoretical gaps. Based on the principles of a systematic literature review, the study identified scientific trends at the intersection of ESG and project management by analyzing papers in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The results revealed four priority areas of ESG integration: compliance-based and reporting approaches; explaining impacts through risk management and health, safety, and the environment; stakeholder management and the logic of social license to operate; and organizational agility, flexible, and hybrid management approaches. The practical significance lies in the fact that the proposed classification and model provide oil and gas companies with a methodological basis for integrating ESG requirements into the project planning, implementation, and control system (risk matrix, KPIs, contract and procurement requirements, stakeholder engagement plan), as well as for determining ESG indicators at each lifecycle stage.