OREANDA-NEWS. On November 18, 2008 At an awards ceremony hosted by the Moscow State Kremlin Palace, the Kuibyshev refinery received an honorary distinction for Best Environmental Performance in 2008, reported the press-centre of Rosneft.

The ceremony took place in the framework of the 4th National Conference, Real Sector of Economy: New Environmental Priorities. The Kuibyshev refinery also won an award for lasting contribution to creating an environment-oriented economy and active development of resource-conscious technology.

The Kuibyshev refinery’s Senior Deputy General Director Sergey Yakimov received the Environmental Shield of Russia honorary award, which recognizes ongoing commitment to promoting environmental awareness and security. In addition, the plant’s Chief Engineer Yury Makarenko won the Environmental Safety award.

Continuously reducing adverse environmental impacts is among Rosneft’s top priorities. In particular, the Kuibyshev refinery is implementing comprehensive programs to upgrade its core process units, commission new treatment facilities, and enhance air and water pollution control systems.

The plant has also launched a project to shift generation facilities to natural gas, which will further contribute to reducing contaminant emission. Seeking to efficiently utilize excess fuel gas, the Kuibyshev refinery is carrying out modernization of its flaring infrastructure. In particular, tanks are being equipped with Ultraflout internal floating roofs that allow reducing air pollutant emission and petroleum product losses by almost 80%.