OREANDA-NEWS. On October 09, 2008 Karachaganak Petroleum Operating (KPO) B.V. has recently been awarded ISO 14001 Certification for its Environmental Management System (EMS).  This is an excellent achievement which further supports KPO’s commitment to environmental protection, reported the press-centre of KPO.

The certified EMS dictates how KPO will protect the environment throughout its operational activities.  It raises awareness and ensures that people understand their roles and impacts and the environmental risks associated with the various activities undertaken at Karachaganak.
 
Speaking at the award ceremony in Almaty, KPO General Director Roger Fox said: “Certification provides us with a robust system through which we can better manage our environmental impacts and improve our performance.  It is a major achievement for KPO, and will complement the other significant improvements we have seen in environment management over the last three years.  
 
“In developing and operating such a technically complex field, environmental protection and safety are critical success factors.  Our recent performance has helped both Karachaganak and the Republic of Kazakhstan to be recognised amongst the leaders in oil and gas HSE performance.  This, together with international ISO 14001 certification, will provide an external benchmark from which the Republic can evaluate other operations and developments.”
 
Enhancing hydrocarbon utilisation and reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions are both key elements of Karachaganak’s environmental improvement programme.  When benchmarked against its peers, Karachaganak clearly rates within the top quartile with respect to gas utilisation.  In 2007, 99.65% of gas Karachaganak produced was utilised in some way – it was either sold, re-injected or used as fuel.  This is the result of significant improvements over a number of years.
 
The ISO 14000 environmental management system standards exist to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively impact the environment (cause adverse changes to air, water, or land) and comply with applicable laws and regulations.
 
ISO 14001 is the international specification for an Environmental Management System. It specifies requirements for establishing an environmental policy, determining significant environmental aspects and impacts of activities, planning environmental objectives and measurable targets, implementation and operation of programmes to meet objectives and targets, checking and corrective action, and management review.