OREANDA-NEWS. OJSC Irkutskenergo underwent certification confirming conformity of its environmental management system with the ISO 14001 international standard. Environmental protection is one of OJSC Irkutskenergo's priorities. Every year, OJSC Irkutskenergo takes measures to improve the performance and energy efficiency of its facilities and to conserve natural resources. Compliance of the environmental management system (EMS) with the requirements of the ISO 14001:2004 international standard and the GOST R 14001-2007 national standard was confirmed as part of a certification audit of OJSC Irkutskenergo carried out by the Certification Association Russian Register (Saint Petersburg), one of the largest certification bodies recognized both in Russia and abroad which specializes in certification of management systems. Independence and objectivity of Russian Register and competence of its personnel are proved by numerous national and foreign accreditations and an impressive track record. The Certification Association Russian Register has been accredited by the Dutch Accreditation Council RvA, a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

OJSC Irkutskenergo had made the decision to implement an environmental management system meeting the requirements of the ISO 14001 international standard in order to streamline enterprise management systems, prevent a negative impact on the environment and conserve energy through efficient implementation of environmental management and improvement in the region's environment.

As part of the certification audit, a group of auditors from the Certification Association Russian Register carried out checks at departments of the executive directorate and the company's branches. At the follow-up meeting over the findings of the certification audit, the chairman of the certification committee voiced the experts' opinion that at OJSC Irkutskenergo, an environmental management system had been implemented, was functioning and was maintained and that the company had proved capable of meeting approved requirements for application of the system, the organization's policy and its goals. In addition, the auditors highlighted positive trends such as competence and professionalism of the company's employees, readiness for improvement and a rapid response to an opportunity for improvements during the audit. Based on the favorable outcome of the audit, OJSC Irkutskenergo was issued with a certificate confirming compliance of its environmental management system (EMS) with the requirements of the ISO 14001:2004 international standard within the system of a certification body that is a member of the IAF and within the IQNet system, and with the requirements of the GOST R 14001-2007 national standard. The certificate of conformity of the environmental management system (EMS) with the requirements of the ISO 14001 international standard will enable the company to enter the international market.

Comment from Oleg Prichko, CEO of OJSC Irkutskenergo: "OJSC Irkutskenergo aims for successful development and seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of its operations. We have laid the foundation for an improvement in environmental performance and greater environmental responsibility by implementing and maintaining an environmental management system, whose necessity is recognized worldwide. OJSC Irkutskenergo's environmental policy is consistent with the nature, scale and environmental impact of the company's operations. Employees of OJSC Irkutskenergo and its contractors have been informed about the principles of the environmental policy and apply them in practice."