OREANDA-NEWS. May 28, 2012. Led by Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Company's Management Committee, a meeting of the Gazprom Coordinating Committee for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency took place today at the Gazprom headquarters.

The meeting addressed the environmental protection activities results shown by Gazprom in 2011. It was noted that in 2011 air emissions had been decreased by 3 per cent, production waste – by 11 per cent and water consumption – by 7.5 per cent, compare to 2010. In 2011 the funds allocated for environmental activities made up RUB 24.6 billion (which is RUB 4.1 billion more than in 2010).


Environmental performance was mainly improved due to executing the environmental activities, applying the advanced technologies, upgrading the equipment. For instance, Gazprom Dobycha Noyabrsk introduced a method of drilling waste recycling into a construction material on the basis of Russian patented technologies.
The meeting was also focused on reviewing the results of the Gazprom Program for Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency Improvement for 2011–2013.

It was noted that last year wholly-owned Gazprom subsidiaries had saved 2.8 million tons of fuel equivalent of energy resources. Like in previous years, gas transmission covered the bulk of energy resource savings (89 per cent). Resources were saved due to optimizing the operational modes, cutting the costs for process needs, retrofitting and upgrading the equipment at compressor stations and line pipe sections of gas trunklines.


Heads of the Gazprom subsidiaries were tasked to continue making efforts aimed to improve energy efficiency, particularly by introducing the innovative technologies.
Background

The Gazprom Coordinating Committee for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency was established in October 2007 in order to secure an integrated approach and coordinate the environmental activities of the Company's structural subdivisions and subsidiaries.

The Committee's major goals are as follows:
— comprehensively evaluating the effectiveness of the Gazprom Group environmental activities;
— introducing comprehensive environmental, energy saving and energy efficiency management;
— coordinating Gazprom's interaction with environmental authorities and public entities.