OREANDA-NEWS. October 7, 2011. The Gazprom Management Committee has approved the work done within the Environmental Policy.

The meeting highlighted that Gazprom's eastward expansion, intensified offshore operations, oil and power assets acquisition made it expedient to spread the corporate environmental policy to the companies and organizations strongly influencing Gazprom Group's environmental performance.

Specialized structural units were tasked to prepare proposals on the conduct of a unified corporate environmental policy in Gazprom Group's entities.

The issue will be submitted for consideration by the Gazprom Board of Directors.
Background

Gazprom's activity has a strategic significance for the economy of Russia and other countries, affects the interests of millions of people. Environmental impacts made by the Company during its operations determine its responsibility to the society.

In 1995 Gazprom was one of the first Russian companies to adopt the Environmental Policy. The effective version of the Environmental Policy was approved in September 2008.

Pursuant to the document, the underlying principle of the Company's business is sustainable development construed as intense economic growth accompanied by maximal conservation of natural resources and preservation of a favorable natural environment for future generations.

The Company's long-term strategic goals in the environmental protection area are as follows:
— minimizing specific negative impacts on the natural environment;
— increasing the efficiency of non-renewable natural resource and energy utilization;
— involving all of the Company's personnel in the activities aimed at reducing environmental risks, improving the environmental management system and performance indicators in the environmental area.

As part of the Environmental Policy, specialized environmental structural units were set up in Gazprom and its subsidiary companies. In 2011 Gazprom finished the preparation of the Gazprom Environmental Management System for the ISO 14001 compliance certification.

The strategic environmental objectives are attained, inter alia, through implementation of comprehensive programs for reconstruction and re-equipment of production, transmission and processing facilities as well as energy saving programs.

At the moment, the Gazprom Comprehensive Environmental Program until 2015 is awaiting approval. The Program will contain all the environmental actions.

According to the assumed obligations, Gazprom ensures transparency of its environmental information. Environmental reports are issues every year, in 2010 the first Sustainability Report was issued.