OREANDA-NEWS. May 7, 2009. The Gazprom Headquarters hosted today a meeting of the Company’s Coordinating Committee for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency. The meeting was moderated by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, Head of the Coordinating Committee.

Participating in the meeting were heads of the Gazprom Administration specialized subdivisions and subsidiary companies – Giprogaztsentr, Gazprom promgaz, Gazprom gaznadzor, Gazprom invest Vostok and Gazprom transgaz Tomsk.

The meeting participants discussed and approved the plan of top-priority environmental actions to be stepped up by Gazprom before the end of 2010.

The Coordinating Committee also reviewed the issues of ensuring environmental safety when constructing the Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas pipeline and providing gas to the Kamchatka Krai. As was noted, the projects involved a full complex of environmental measures aimed at mitigating negative impacts on the atmosphere, water sources, soil, subsoil reserves, animal and vegetal life.

In particular, the route of the Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas pipeline was designed in the manner minimizing the impact on the regional wildlife. In addition, the gas pipeline construction will be assisted by new-generation gas pumping units that meet all up-to-date requirements in terms of atmospheric emission restriction. In complicated seismic areas, pipes and connection pieces with specific structural reliability will be applied.

Comprehensive environmental actions are to be taken by the Company within the projects on gas supply to the Kamchatka Krai.

Particular attention will be paid to saving of the local fish resources. For instance, the crossing of spawning streams by the GTU-2 Nizhne-Kvakchinskoye gas condensate field – automated gas distribution station of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky gas pipeline will be implemented in the form of bridges that will help to rule out the negative impact on salmon spawning.

The meeting participants emphasized that the gasification of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky will result in a 24 per cent decrease of hazardous atmospheric pollutions in the Kamchatka Krai. This plan will be primarily delivered through the transfer to natural gas from fuel oil, coal and fuelwood. This will also reduce the costs of thermal and power energy and increase the stability of supplies to the Krai consumers.

The meeting highlighted the necessity to tighten control over the implementation of requirements for environmental safety by contracting companies.

Based on the meeting results the relevant assignments were given aimed at a timely and maximum efficient implementation of environmental activities.