OREANDA-NEWS. November 26, 2009. A delegation of Gazprom led by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee took part in the International Conference “Environmental Safety in Gas Industry”.

In his opening speech delivered at the Conference, Alexander Ananenkov noted that the status of Gazprom, being a global energy market leader, required that the Company was highly responsible in the environmental sector, inter alia. Even during the global financial and economic crisis, the Company’s approach to ensuring industrial and environmental safety remained intact.

The speaker underlined that large-scale business activities of Gazprom were directly related to natural resources production and utilization, and exerted an environmental impact. “Therefore, the sustainable development principle: “dynamic development plus maximally rational use of natural resources plus preservation of favorable environment” was used as the basis for the corporate environmental policy. This principle is systematically put into practice,” he said.

For example, environmental research within the Nord Stream project is unprecedented worldwide in terms of scale and scope.

As part of the Shtokman project, the Company carried out a wide scope of engineering and environmental research. The existing environmental risks and restrictions were determined and taken into account. “The Shtokman field development will lay the basis for further environmentally-friendly development of Russia’s Arctic shelf and help obtain a unique experience in applying advanced high-tech achievements during the construction operations carried out in harsh northern conditions and a vulnerable natural environment,” noted Alexander Ananenkov.

Construction of the Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas transmission system and development of new fields in Sakhalin and Kamchatka are the projects of strategic importance in Eastern Russia being one of the most promising gas production provinces in the country. The activities in the region are, to a large extent, unique due to specific environmental restrictions and require application of the respective projects and procedures. Gazprom’s objective is to ensure the least impact on the ecosystem of the eastern region.

The speaker drew the Conference participants’ attention to the need to actively use natural gas as a motor fuel. Natural gas vehicles, if widely spread, will help tackle the crucial issue of toxic emissions into the atmosphere – the main factor adversely impacting the environmental well-being of big cities.

In the conclusion, Alexander Ananenkov highlighted that Gazprom was constantly making the efforts aimed at environmental risks mitigation and creation of favorable living conditions for the population in the Company’s activity regions. Implementation of Gazprom’s environmental policy facilitates sustainable development in the long run.